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Qass. 


,  ■-T'  // 


Book_,_ 


History  of  the 

Town  of  Coventry 


■By- 


Oliver  P.  Judd 


History  of  the 

Town  of  Coventry 


from  the  first  white 
man's  log  hut,  with  all 
the  most  important 
events,  down  to  the 
present  time. 


. . . BY  .  . . 

OLIVER    P.  JUDD 
COVENTRY,  N.  Y. 


9     nd 


Fiz9 


1912 
THE  OXFORD  REVIEW 
Oxford.  N.  Y. 


Introduction 


The  author  of  this  work  never  expected  until  lately  to  make  his  ap- 
pearance in  this  manner  before  the  public.  When  he  commenced  writing 
this  history  he  only  intended  to  write  a  little  sketch  and  put  it  in  a  news- 
paper for  the  benefit  of  the  public.  After  a  few  articles  had  been  publish- 
ed, fellow  townsmen  appealed  and  urged  him,  contrary  to  his  own  wishes, 
to  look  up  and  write  a  larger  and  much  more  complete  history  of  the 
town.  After  due  consideration  he  consented  to  do  so.  It  has  cost  a  lot  of 
hard  work  and  a  great  deal  of  time  to  compile  it,  getting  only  a  portion 
of  it  from  any  history,  while  the  greater  part  had  to  be  gleaned  from  the 
older  inhabitants,  which  had  to  be  done  by  traveling  from  house  to  house, 
making  well  on  to  a  hundred  miles,  so  you  see  it  was  no  easy  task  to  get 
up  this  history  as  most  of  the  traveling  was  done  on  foot.  Now  if  the 
reader  should  see  some  slight  mistake  I  hope  he  will  forgive,  for  he  must 
remember  that  it  had  to  be  gleaned  from  old  people  that  were  70  and  80 
years  old,  and  who  at  that  age  can  have  a  memory  so  keen  that  they  might 
not  make  some  slight  mistake;  for  they  all  had  to  tell  it  from  memory. 
But  on  the  whole  I  think  it  is  as  perfect  as  any  history  can  be. 

The  writer  has  put  in  some  incidents,  anecdotes,  and  some  thrilling 
scenes,  showing  the  physical  strength  and  courage,  and  the  determined 
will  of  our  forefathers  in  coming  into  the  then  new  country  covered  with 
dense  forests,  inhabited  by  wild  beasts  and  the  more  dreaded  savage  foe, 
the  red  man,  to  make  homes  for  themselves  and  their  posterity.  He  has 
also  put  in  several  poems,  which  are  very  appropriate,  written  for  special 
occasions  by  the  poet  and  poetess  of  the  town.  It  also  contains  all  the 
most  important  events  that  have  ever  happened  in  the  town.  The  mothers 
in  those  early  times  had  much  to  do  with  shaping  the  destiny  of  the  town, 
most  of  .hem  coming  from  Connecticut,  of  the  old  Puritan  stock.  They 
could  not  bear  to  see  the  Sabbath  day  desecrated,  so  they  held  meetings 
every  Sabbath,  going  from  house  to  house,  holding  some  kind  of  a  religious 
meeting  till  the  first  church  in  town  was  organized. 

The  author  submits  this  history  to  the  public  in  the  hope  that  those 


1^  HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 

who  read  it  will  be  inspired  with  as  much  of  the  spirit  of  courage,  fidelity 
to  home,  of  patriotism  for  country  and  brotherly  love  for  each  other  as 
has  been  shown  from  the  thousands  of  incidents;  of  courage  and  bravery 
with  which  our  forefathers  were  inspired,  scenes  that  are  close  to  the 
human  heart  and  which  bring  with  them  the  glow  of  manhood  and  w'oman- 
hood.showing  the  test  of  their  courage  and  their  heroism  of  everyday  life. 
NOTE: — The  reader  will  find  the  words  "old  Chenango  road"  a  good 
many  times  in  the  history.  The  younger  people  probably  don't  know  what 
it  means  or  where  it  is,  or  how  it  came  there.  In  the  Revolutionary  war, 
before  pioneers  ever  set  foot  on  this  soil  to  claim  it,  the  Indians  rose  up 
against  the  whites  in  Wyoming  Valley,  Penn.,  and  massacred  them  with 
great  slaughter,  also  in  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.  General  Sullivan  with  several 
thousand  men  and  cannon  was  sent  out  from  Philadelphia  to  subdue  the 
savage  foe.  After  subduing  them  at  Wyoming  he  started  for  Cherry 
Valley,  coming  through  Elmira  and  Binghamton,  thence  to  Chenango 
Forks,  from  there  he  wanted  to  go  to  Bainbridge  which  was  at  that  time 
a  solid  wilderness.  So  he  had  to  cut  his  road  through  coming  by  the  way 
of  North  Fenton,  through  Lower  Page  Brook  by  the  white  school  house 
and  where  Henry  Spencer  now  lives,  and  Guy  Wylie's  up  the  hill,  the 
Matthew  Hoyt  place,  Thomas  Tifft  farm  down  by  the  Pearsall  farm  and 
so  on  through  Wilkins  Settlement,  if  I  am  informed  right,  and  through  to 
Bainbridge.  This  was  the  old  Chenango  road  known  as  the  Chenango  and 
Catskill  turnpike  and  the  first  road  in  town.  The  one  now  running  from 
Greene  to  Bainbridge  is  part  of  the  old  Catskill  and  Ithaca  turnpike. 

OLIVER  P.  JUDD. 


History  of  the  To\A/n  of  Coventry 


By  Oliver  P.  Judd 


CHAPTER  I. 
Coventry  was  formed  from  Greene 
February  7,  1806,  and  derives  its 
name  from  Coventry  in  Connecticut, 
from  vi'hence  the  first  settlers  came. 
Greene  was  formed  March  15,  1798, 
from  Union,  Broome  county,  and 
Jericho,  now  Bainbridge,  all  three 
then  in  Tioga  county  and  was  in 
honor  of  General  Nathaniel  Greene, 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  Parts  of 
Greene  and  Oxford  were  annexed  to 
Coventry  in  1843.  It  lies  near  the 
center  of  the  south  border  of  Che- 
nango county  and  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Oxford,  on  the  east  by 
Bainbridge  and  Afton,  on  the  south 
by  Afton  and  also  Colesville  in 
Broome  county,  and  on  the  west  by 
Greene.  It  occupies  the  ridge  that 
forms  the  watershed  between  the 
streams  that  flow  into  the  Susque- 
hanna on  the  south  east  and  the 
Chenango  on  the  north  west.  The 
hills,  whose  highest  elevations  are 
midway  between  the  rivers,  are 
about  800  feet  above  the  valleys, 
and  generally  have  gradual  slope 
and  are  tillable  to  their  summit. 
The  surface  is  well  distributed  into 
arable  pasture  and  meadow  lands. 
Its  waters  consists  of  the  head 
waters  of  small  streams,  the  princi- 
pal ones  Harpur  and  Kelsey's  creeks 
both  tributaries  of  the  Susquehanna 
river.  It  is  wholly  underlaid  by  the 
rocks  of  the  Catskill  group,  the  soil 
is  mostly  of  a  sandy  and  gravelly 
loam.  The  town  is  admirably  adapt- 
ed to  grazing.  Dairying  forms  the 
chief  branch  of  its  agriculture,  in 
1880  there  were  four  cheese  and 
butter    factories    in    the    town,    now 


there  are  only  two.  In  1875  the  pop- 
ulation of  the  town  was  1,345  of 
which  1,307  were  natives  and  38 
foreigners — all  white.  Its  acreage 
was  27,815  of  which  21,326  were 
improved  and  640  unimproved. 
There  are  eleven  common  school  dis- 
tricts in  the  town  each  of  which  has 
a  school  house  of  its  own.  The 
number  of  children  of  school  age, 
residing  in  the  districts,  September 
30,  1875,  was  373.  During  the 
year  ending  September  30,  1878, 
there  were  7  male  and  14  female 
teachers  employed  of  whom  11  were 
licensed.  The  number  of  children 
residing  in  the  districts  who  attend- 
ed school  was  309;  of  whom  only 
four  were  under  five  or  over  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  The  total  daily 
attendance  during  the  year  was 
171,391.  The  number  of  volumes 
in  district  libraries  was  280,  the 
value  of  which  was  $44.00.  The 
number  of  school  houses  was  11  all 
frame  which  with  the  sites  embrac- 
ing 2  acres  and  152  rods  valued  at 
$425,  were  valued  at  $3,600;  the  as- 
sessed value  of  the  taxable  property 
in  the  district  was  $688,050.  The 
number  of  children  between  eight 
and  fourteen  years  of  age  residing 
in  the  district  September  30,  1877, 
was  179,  of  whom  156  attended  dis- 
trict school  fourteen  weeks  of  the 
year.  In  looking  back  to  the  census 
of  1855  we  find  that  there  were 
1,681  people  in  the  town,  and  his- 
tory says  that  the  population  had 
been  diminishing  for  the  last  30 
years  before  that,  so  I  think  that  in 
1825  there  must  have  been  2,000 
population.     There  was  a  reason  for 


6 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


this;  when  the  first  settlers  came  in 
they  took  small  farms,  50  acres 
apiece.  The  man  that  got  his  paid 
for  first  was  ready  to  buy  out  his 
neighbor,  who  had  not  paid  for  his, 
so  you  see  the  first  farms  grew  lar- 
ger, and  the  families  diminished. 
In  1855  there  were  12  school  dis- 
tricts with  the  attendance  of  640; 
an  average  of  fifty-three  and  one- 
third  while  today  there  is  less  than 
100. 

Settlements 

The  first  settlement  in  the  town  of 
Coventry  was  made  in  1785  by 
Simon  Jones  who  came  from  Cov- 
entry, Connecticut,  and  located  on 
the  old  Chenango  road  near  the 
center  of  the  town  on  100  acres  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  Ray  Parker. 
Jones  died  there  childless,  January 
12,  1817,  aged  67.  William  Good- 
sell  and  Andrew  Clark  settled  near 
Mr.  Jones,  on  the  same  road  the  fol- 
lowing year,  the  latter  on  land 
which  now  forms  part  of  Ray  Par- 
ker's farm.  They  remained  but  a 
short  time  and  but  little  is  known  of 
them.  Benjamin  Jones,  cousin  of 
Simon  Jones,  came  in  from  the  same 
place  in  1788,  and  settled  on  the 
same  road,  one  and  one-half  miles 
south  east  of  Coventry  village,  on 
the  farm  known  as  the  Thomas  Tifft 
farm.  He  took  up  250  acres  of  land 
and  kept  there  that  year  the  first 
inn  in  the  town,  in  a  frame  building 
which  was  in  use  till  about  1850, 
when  it  was  moved  across  the  road 
for  a  horse  barn.  He  kept  the  hotel 
but  a  few  years,  being  principally 
engaged  in  farming.  He  was  for 
some  years,  the  agent  for  the  sale  of 
land  in  this  locality.  He  removed 
about  1833,  with  a  portion  of  his 
family,  to  Wellsville  where  two  of 
his  children  resided  a  number  of 
years;  Zenas  H.,  a  lawyer  and  Clar- 


issa, wife  of  William  Gifford.  Two 
of  his  sons  remained  here;  Benja- 
min John  Lewis  and  Laman  P. 
The  latter  carried  on  a  boot  and 
shoe  business  in  Coventry  for  about 
40  years.  The  former  settled  about 
two  miles  east  of  Coventry  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Edgar  Pearsall, 
He  subsequently  moved  to  Susque- 
hanna where  he  died  June  22,  1858, 
aged  52  years.  Sylva  M.,  his  wife, 
died  February  16,  1875,  aged  63 
years.  He  was  the  father  of  C.  F. 
Jones,  deceased,  of  Church  Hollow, 
well  known  in  Harpursville  and  vi- 
cinity. Benjamin  Jones,  Sr.,  joined 
the  Revolutionary  army  at  the  age 
of  18  years,  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  During  his  resi- 
dence here,  in  180  6,  he  represented 
this  county  in  the  Assembly  and 
during  his  legislative  term  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  forma- 
tion of  the  town  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  first  officers  and  in  giving 
It  the  name  of  his  native  place  in 
Connecticut.  He  was  the  first  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  from  this  town, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  assessors  of 
the  town  of  Bainbridge  in  1791. 
The  first  postofRce  was  kept  in  his 
house  and  was  removed  to  Coventry- 
vllle  on  the  establishment  of  the 
hotel  there.  This  town  has  been 
represented  to  the  State  legislature 
by  seven  different  men,  viz.,  Ben- 
jamin Jones,  William  Church,  Ru- 
fus  Chandler,  Romeo  Warren,  Wil- 
liam Kales,  Charles  Pearsall,  and 
Edgar  Pearsall. 

Burrige  Miles  came  from  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  in  1789  and 
took  up  200  acres  comprising  the 
whole  of  the  site  of  Coventryville, 
where  he  settled.  Having  kept  a 
hotel  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
his  native  place  he  erected  a  frame 
house   in   which   he   kept   hotel.      In 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


1811  he  built  the  present  hotel  in 
Coventryville,  which  he  kept  until 
his  death,  September  12,  1848,  aged 
83  years.  He  married  in  New  Hav- 
en, Elizabeth,  sister  of  Ozias  Yale 
of  Cheshire,  Connecticut.  She  died 
September  15,  1832,  aged  68  years. 
His  children  were  Betsey,  who  mar- 
ried Augustus  Martin;  Luman,  who 
kept  hotel  in  Coventry  a  good  many 
years,  and  Burrige,  who  lived  in 
Coventryville,  and  died,  July  23, 
1829,  aged  24  years.  The  children 
were  all  born  in  Coventry,  and  Lu- 
man who  was  born  in  a  hotel,  kept 
one  nearly  all  his  life.  When  Miles 
came  into  the  town.  Royal  Wilkins 
had  squatted  on  the  creek,  one- 
fourth  mile  south  of  Coventryville, 
and  had  made  a  small  clearing  and 
built  a  shanty;  but  he  moved  soon 
after  to  Afton  where  he  settled  and 
raised  a  family.  His  location  here 
was  near  where  Frank  Pearsall  now 
lives. 

Ozias  Yale  and  William  Stork 
made  settlements  in  1792,  and  Dea- 
con Richards  about  the  same  time. 
Yale  came  from  Cheshire,  Connecti- 
cut, and  settled  one-half  mile  north 
of  Coventryville,  where  T.  M.  Wil- 
liams now  lives,  and  where  he  died. 
May  26,  1853,  aged  86  years.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  held  the  office  of 
justice  several  years.  He  was  twice 
married.  Hannah,  his  first  wife 
died,  December  23,  1810,  aged  55 
years,  and  Agnes  A.,  his  second  wife, 
March  8,  1875,  aged  88  years.  Two 
sons,  Thomas,  who  lived  at  Nineveh 
for  a  good  many  years,  and  Robert, 
who  lived  in  Norwich,  Evaline,  wife 
of  Nathaniel  Smith  and  Hannah,  wife 
of  Seth  Beckwith,  were  daughters  of 
his.  The  deaths  of  his  daughter, 
Hannah  and  son  H ,  both  chil- 
dren by  his  first  wife,  the  former 
October  3,  1796,  at  the  age  of  3  years 


and  the  latter  July  9,  1800,  at  the 
age  of  6  years  were  among  the  ear- 
liest in  the  town;  and  the  birth  of 
the  former,  must  have  been  among 
the  first,  if  not  the  first  in  the  town. 
William,  son  of  Moses  Allis,  born  in 
1794,  is  credited  with  being  the  first 
white  child  born  in  the  town. 

Deacon  William  Stork  was  also 
from  Cheshire,  Conn.  He  took  up 
one  hundred  acres  in  the  east  part 
of  the  town,  where  he  and  his  wife 
died,  the  former  December  3,  1822, 
aged  52,  and  the  latter,  Rebecca  Par- 
ker, March  17,1832,  aged  59.  He 
was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  car- 
ried on  that  business  in  connection 
with  farming.  He  had  eight  chil- 
dren, only  four  lived  to  grow  up; 
two  were  born  in  Connecticut,  but 
died  in  infancy,  as  also  did  the 
other  two  who  died  young.  The 
four  who  lived  to  maturity  were 
Julia,  who  was  born  in  Coventry 
September  16,  1799,  married  Don. 
C.  Parker  of  Cazenovia,  where  they 
settled  afterwards,  removing  to 
Greene  where  he  died  November  2, 
1862;  Anna,  who  died  a  maiden  lady 
on  the  homestead  in  Coventry; 
Lauriston,  who  married  Pheuby, 
daughter  of  William  Clark,  of  Caz- 
enovia, where  they  settled  and 
where  he  died;  and  William  L.,  a 
lawyer  who  lived  in  Cazenovia. 

Deacon  Richards  settled  on  the  old 
Chenango  road;  also  Harden  Bennett 
about  1792-5.  Roger  Edgerton  set- 
tled about  four  miles  south  of  Cov- 
entry, where  Charles  Seymour  now 
lives,  and  was  killed  there  by  falling 
down  stairs.  He  came  as  early  as 
1790,  in  which  year  a  son  of  his  died, 
his  death  being  the  first  in  the  town. 
One  son,  Hial,  kept  a  store  in  Nine- 
veh, his  son  Franklin  followed  him 
in  the  store.  Several  great  grand- 
children are  living. 


S' 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


Philo  Yale  settled  in  the  town  in 
1794,  when  19  years  old,  and  built 
his  house  in  1800,  he  dug  the  first 
grave  in  the  cemetery  at  Coventry- 
ville  for  William  Button,  it  ia  in  the 
north  east  corner  of  the  yard.  Moses 
Allis  came  in  as  early  as  17  95,  and 
Zenas  Hutchinson  and  Levi  Parker 
about  that  year.  Allis  was  a  shoe- 
maker and  settled  three  miles  south 
of  Coventry  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Ex-Sheriff  Beardsley.  He  resided 
there  until  well  advanced  in  years, 
when  he  went  to  Ohio,  where  he 
died.  None  of  his  children  are  liv- 
ing here.  His  son  William  who  is 
generally  supposed  to  have  been  the 
first  child  born  in  the  town  removed 
to  Ohio  about  1830  and  died  there. 
Hutchinson  came  from  Coventry, 
Connecticut,  where  he  was  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1782,  and  settled  on  the 
first  farm  west  of  Coventry,  which  is 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Charles 
Hoyt.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
the  village  and  died  there  November 
31,  1869.  He  held  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  thirty  years,  and 
was  town  clerk  and  school  teacher 
for  a  good  many  years.  He  married 
Electa  Trumbull,  who  was  born 
March  3,  1794,  and  whose  father 
was  an  early  settler  in  that  town 
where  she  died  February  18,  1870. 
He  had  two  children,  both  daugh- 
ters, Callista,  who  married  Chauncey 
S.  Williams,  now  living  in  Coventry; 
and  Sophia,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
17.  Parker  came  from  Cheshire, 
Conn.,  and  settled  on  the  site  of  the 
Congregational  parsonage  in  Cov- 
entryville  village.  He  afterwards  re- 
moved to  the  west  part  of  the  town, 
to  the  place  where  Mr.  Pearson  now 
lives,  and  died  there  April  9,  1846, 
aged  79  years.  Phebe,  his  wife,  died 
October  9.  1859,  aged  89.  His  chil- 
dren  were:      Eldad,   who  settled  at 


Coventryville,  where  he  died  June  4, 
1820,  aged  26;  Levi,  who  married 
and  settled  where  Burton  Jones  now 
lives,  and  died  there  October  5, 
1864,  aged  68,  and  Polly  G.,  his 
wife,  October  5,  1854,  aged  59. 
Aaron,  who  was  a  Baptist  minister, 
lived  to  an  advanced  age;  Luman, 
who  settled  at  Coventryville;  Laura, 
who  married  Meritt  Stoddard  and 
after  his  death,  October  12,  1820, 
married  Ahira  Barden  and  lived  in 
Tioga  county;  Phebe,  who  married 
A.  B.  Dodge  and  lived  in  Triangle, 
Broome  county,  and  Lucinda,  who 
died  young  and  unmarried.  James 
S.  Parker,  at  one  time  a  merchant 
in  Coventry,  Mrs.  Daniel  Beecher  of 
Coventry,  Meritt  S.  Parker,  at  one 
time  a  merchant  in  Greene,  and 
Mary,  wife  of  Dr.  M.  B.  Spencer  of 
Guilford,  are  the  grandchildren. 

Record  Wilbur  came  in  from  Ver- 
mont as  early  as  1798,  and  settled 
about  a  mile  south  of  Coventry  on 
the  north  part  of  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Edward  H.  Porter  and  son, 
and  died  there  January  29,  1862,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  99  years. 
Naomi,  his  wife  died  January  21, 
1842,  aged  76.  They  had  no 
children. 

CHAPTER   II 
A     Continuation     of    Early     Settlers 

A  man  named  Childs,  whose  wife 
was  a  sister  of  Record  Wilbur,  came 
In  soon  after  Wilbur  and  made  a 
clearing  and  planted  corn  on  the 
place  now  owned  by  William  Kelley, 
known  as  the  Judd  farm.  He  re- 
mained but  one  summer  and  return- 
ed to  Vermont,  from  whence  he 
came.     His  wife  never  came  here. 

Captain  Jothan  Parker  came  in  as 
early  as  1795,  probably  that  year, 
and  settled  one  mile  south  of  Cov- 
entryville, on  the  place  now  owned 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


by  Edgar  Pearsall.  He  built  in 
that  localily  in  1795  the  first  grist 
mill  in  the  town.  He  kept  also  in 
an  addition  to  the  south  part  of  his 
house  the  first  store  in  the  town. 
Hiland,  his  son,  afterwards  kept 
store  there  in  company  with  Renja- 
min  Jones.  Captain  Parker  also 
kept  a  tavern.  He  died  there  after 
a  short  but  active  business  life,  July 
19,  1815,  aged  62.  His  wife,  Sarah, 
survived  him  many  years  and  died 
November  13,  1848,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  9  0  years.  His  children  were: 
Hiland  Jothan,  Jr.,  who  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1830,  aged  42;  Luman,  who 
died  October  5,  1801,  aged  20; 
Emma  and  the  widow  Loveland. 
The  grist  mill  built  by  Captain  Par- 
ker was  located  on  a  small  creek 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  Cov- 
entryville  near  the  residence  of 
Prank  Pearsall.  A  portion  of  the 
foundation  may  yet  be  seen.  It  was 
operated  as  a  grist  mill  till  about 
1845,  when  William  Warner  con- 
verted it  into  a  carpenter  shop  which 
was  burned  about  1876. 

Simeon  Parker  settled  at  an  early 
day  one  and  one-half  miles  north  of 
Coventryville  where  his  grandson, 
Peter  H.  Parker,  now  lives  and 
where  he  and  his  wife  died,  the  for- 
mer February  7,  1824,  aged  48,  and 
the  latter,  July  30,  1835,  aged  60 
years.  He  married  Polly  Sprague, 
and  their  marriage  was  the  first  one 
contracted  in  the  town.  Their  chil- 
dren were,  Lucius,  Hiram,  Simeon, 
Joel,  Henry,  Meritt,  Polly,  Betsey, 
Sally,  Louisa,  and  Nancy,  none  now 
living. 

A  man  named  Stimpson  settled  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  on 
the  farm  owned  and  occupied  for  a 
good  many  years  by  Draper  Easton, 
in  1800.  He  lived  and  died  there. 
He    had    six   children:      Jason,    who 


married  Betsey  Johnson,  Simeon 
Roswell,  who  married  a  sister  of 
Jason's  wife;  Nancy,  who  married 
Ira  Bartholomew;  Betsey  and  an- 
other daughter,  who  married  the 
father  of  William  Gilbert;  all  of 
whom  are  dead. 

Deacon  John  Stoddard  who  was 
born  July  1,  1763,  came  from  Water- 
town,  Conn.,  his  native  place,  in 
18  01  and  settled  on  the  farm  at  Cov- 
entryville which  was  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  his  grandson,  William  A. 
Stoddard,  where  he  died,  February 
24,  1821.  He  came  in  with  his  fam- 
ily, consisting  of  his  wife,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Nathan  Woodward,  of 
Watertown,  Conn.,  and  six  children, 
Curtis,  Meritt,  Polly,  John,  Sarah 
and  Elijah  Woodward.  Three  were 
born  after  they  came  here,  Abigail, 
Wells  and  Abiram,  not  one  of  the 
nine  is  living.  He  took  up  250  acres 
of  land,  nearly  100  acres  of  which  is 
occupied  by  his  grandsons  and  great- 
grandsons.  His  wife  died  January 
1,  1849,  aged  83.  The  Stoddards 
have  been  a  prominent,  influenti"! 
and  highly  respected  family.  Curtis 
married  Hepsey,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Martin,  from  Watertown,  Conn.,  who 
came  in  with  Mr.  Stoddard  in  1800 
and  prospected  the  lands  they  took 
up  and  accompanied  him  in  his  set- 
tlements the  following  year.  Mr. 
Martin  died  here  January  17,  184  0, 
aged  76,  and  Phebe,  his  wife,  March 
22,  1841,  aged  76  years.  Curtis 
Stoddard  settled  on  50  acres  of  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  raised  a 
family  of  eight  children.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife  he  removed  to  Lit- 
tle St.  Joseph,  Ohio,  where  he  died 
in  1843.  Meritt  Stoddard  married 
Laura,  daughter  of  Levi  Parker,  and 
settled  in  the  west  part  of  the  town, 
where  he  died  October  12,  1820, 
aged  32  years.     Polly  Stoddard  mar- 


io 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


ried  Sylvester  Stevens  of  Camden, 
Oneida  county,  and  removed  with 
him  to  that  county,  where  he  died. 
After  his  death  she  returned  to  Cov- 
entry and  subsequently  married 
Daniel  Benedict.  She  died  here  in 
1876.  John  Stoddard,  who  became 
a  deacon,  married  Merab,  daughter 
of  Oliver  Parker,  an  early  settler  in 
the  town,  where  he  died  March  29, 
1856,  aged  85  years;  and  Abigail, 
his  wife,  January  10,  1861,  aged  89 
years.  John  settled  on  tbe  home- 
stead and  died  there  January  20, 
1865,  aged  60  years.  His  wife  died 
there  March  20,  1857,  aged  60  years. 
He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  20 
years.  Sarah  Stoddard  married 
Deacon  William  Albert  Martin,  a 
resident  of  Coventry,  where  they 
both  lived  and  died.  He  died  March 
26,  1846,  aged  53  years.  Elijah 
Woodward  Stoddard,  who  was  born 
in  1797  and  died  in  1837,  was  grad- 
uated at  Hamilton  College  in  1823, 
studied  theology  in  Philadelphia  and 
was  licensed  to  preach  in  June  18  26. 
He  married  Althea  Coye  of  Coopers- 
town  and  in  1826  was  settled  as 
pastor  at  Lisle.  He  subsequently 
preached  in  Windsor,  in  each  place 
six  years,  and  removed  to  Little  St. 
Joseph,  Ohio,  where  he  died. 
Abigail,  married  Miles  Doolittle,  a 
resident  of  Coventry,  who  built  in 
1815  the  first  and  only  carding  mill 
in  the  town.  It  stood  on  a  small 
stream  which  was  early  known  as 
Great  brook,  about  a  mile  south  of 
Coventryville.  Abigail  died  August 
30,  1830.  Wells  Stoddard  married 
Eunice,  daughter  of  Eliakin  Bene- 
dict, and  settled  in  Coventry.  They 
removed  in  1833,  to  Marion,  Iowa, 
where  he  died  in  1853.  Abiram 
married  Lavina  Smith  of  Derby, 
Conn.,  where  he  practiced  medicine 
and  where  he  died  in  1839.    Four  of 


John  Jr's,  children:  Henry,  John, 
Albert  and  Lewis,  and  one  of  Cur- 
tis' daughters,  Hepsey,  wife  of  Jos- 
eph Johnson,  the  last  named  is  still 
living  at  this  date  1912. 

Deacon  Philo  Minor,  eame  from 
Woodbury,  Conn.,  in  1802,  a  single 
man  and  made  a  clearing  of  two 
acres  about  a  mile  east  of  Coventry- 
ville, on  the  place  once  occupied  by 
C.  Burlison.  He  returned  to  Con- 
necticut the  following  fall  and  mar- 
ried Polly  Stillson,  and  in  the  win- 
ter brought  in  his  wife  on  an  ox 
sled.  About  1850  he  removed  to 
the  place  once  occupied  by  Lewis 
Stoddard,  and  subsequently  to  Afton, 
where  he  died  November  16,  1864, 
aged  83  years.  His  wife  died  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1848,  aged  64  years.  He 
had  nine  children:  George,  born  in 
1803,  Clark  and  Esther,  widow  of 
Seneca  Reed  of  Coventry;  Mary,  wife 
of  Sylvester  Cornell,  and  Sarah  A, 
widow  of  Calvin  Franklin,  who  died 
September  8,  1861,  in  Norwich. 

At  one  time  Mrs.  Philo  Minor  left 
her  home  to  go  to  a  place  near 
Brackett  Pond  to  arrange  for  some 
weaving.  She  went  on  horseback  as 
there  were  then  no  roads  except  log 
roads.  Taking  the  wrong  road  she 
got  lost  and  remained  in  the  woods 
all  night.  It  was  dark  and  raining 
and  when  she  could  no  longer  see, 
she  perched  herself  on  a  leaning  tree 
as  high  as  she  could  and  hold  the 
horse.  She  placed  the  saddle  over 
her  head  as  a  protection  against  the 
falling  rain  and  so  passed  the  night 
with  the  woves  howling  around  her, 
but  she  kept  them  at  bay  by  beating 
the  stirrups  together,  thus  making 
music  which  they  apparently  did  not 
like. 

John  Minor  came  in  about  the 
same  time  and  he  and  his  wife,  Anna 
G.  Beardsley,  died  here,  the  former, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


11 


February  9,  1854,  aged  84  and  the 
latter  March  4,  1852,  aged  79. 
Their  daughter,  Elizabeth  D.,  mar- 
ried John  Foot,  a  native  of  Coey- 
mans,  N.  Y.,  who  was  a  tanner  and 
shoemaker  and  settled  in  Coventry 
where  he  held  several  military  and 
town  offices,  and  was  deacon  of  the 
Congregational  church.  They  had 
two  children,  Lydia  Ann,  who  mar- 
ried Henry  Milton  Ketchum  and  re- 
moved to  Minnesota,  and  Jane 
Amanda. 

John  Mandeville  and  Elisha  War- 
ren came  in  from  Massachusetts,  the 
former  from  Granby,  in  1805.  Man- 
deville settled  in  the  south  part  of 
the  town  four  miles  south  of  Cov- 
entry on  5  0  acres,  which  now  forms 
part  of  Charles  Martin's  farm,  and 
died  there  about  1819.  He  was  the 
first  Supervisor  in  the  town  of  Cov- 
entry. He  had  eight  children:  Ase- 
nith,  who  married  Chauncey  Brewer; 
Sophia,  who  married  Lemuel  Jen- 
nings; John,  William  C,  James, 
Horace,  Homer  and  Malancthon  S. 
Two  grandsons,  Asahel  and  Harry, 
lived  in  the  town  on  land  afterwards 
acquired  by  him.  Warren  settled  in 
the  east  part  of  the  town  one  and 
one-half  miles  southeast  of  Coven- 
tryville,  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
the  estate  of  Clark  L.  Horton,  where 
he  died  January  13,  1806,  aged  41 
years.  Lois,  his  wife,  survived  him 
many  years.  She  died  March  20, 
184  8,  aged  80.  He  had  three  sons 
and  one  daughter:  Woodward,  who 
was  born  in  Watertown,  Conn.,  Jan- 
uary 17,  1791,  who  was  an  architect 
and  carpenter  and  died  September  7, 
1855,  aged  64  years;  Elisha,  Lydia, 
who  married  Hial  Benedict;  and  Ro- 
meo, the  latter  who  represented 
this  country  in  the  State  Assembly 
in  185  6  and  resided  in  Coventry  till 
his  death. 


Settlements  were  made  in  1806  by 
Jabez  Manwarring,  Henry  Chandler 
and  Pardon  Beecher.  Jabez  Man- 
warring  came  from  New  London, 
Conn.,  and  settled  first  three  miles 
south  west  of  Coventry  on  the  farm 
once  owned  by  John  Beals.  In  1812, 
he  removed  to  the  farm  lying  next 
north  and  resided  there  till  his 
death,  April  23,  1861,  aged  80.  In 
1808  he  married  Sally  Hopkins  from 
Waterbury,  Conn.,  who  died  October 
21,  1863,  aged  79  years.  They  had 
ten  children;  Charles  B.,  who  later.** 
resided  at  Nanticoke,  Broome  coun- 
ty; Henry  and  Edward  S.,  at  Wind- 
sor, Broome  county;  Lucius,  at  Cov- 
entry; William  in  Grandville,  Mich.; 
Samuel  and  Albert  in  State  Center, 
Iowa;  George  who  died  in  Clinton 
county,  Iowa,  about  1864;  Sally  Ma- 
ria, who  married  Albert  Prett  of  Af- 
ton  and  subsequently  David  Blakeley 
of  Wisconsin,  where  she  died,  were 
children  of  theirs. 

Deacon  Henry  Chandler  came 
from  Brattleboro,  Vt.  He  stopped 
about  six  months  in  Bainbridge,  and 
removed  thence  to  this  town.  He 
settled  at  Coventryville  and  had 
had  charge  of  the  grist  mill  which 
was  then  in  operation  a  little  south 
of  that  village.  He  built  a  log  house 
into  which  he  moved  his  family  and 
after  about  a  year  bought  a  farm  of 
nearly  fifty  acres  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  south  of  Coventryville, 
known  as  the  Sanford  place.  He 
afterwards  removed  to  the  farm 
known  as  the  Benedict  Foot  farm  in 
the  north  part  of  the  town.  He  went 
to  live  with  his  children  in  Bain- 
bridge in  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
and  died  there  July  21,  1826,  aged 
72  years.  Penelope,  his  wife,  died 
March  25,  1841,  aged  72  years.  His 
children  were:  Nelly,  who  married 
Hardin   Burnett;    Sophia,   who   mar- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


rled  Phineas  Bennett;  Nabby,  who 
married  Calvin  Niles;  Michael, 
Henry,  Selah,  Rufus,  David,  Lock- 
wood  and  Lois,  who  married  William 
Wilson.  Rufus  resided  in  Coventry. 
Parson  Beecher  removed  from  the 
parish  in  Salem,  Conn.,  now  Nauga- 
tuck,  and  like  many  others  of  the 
early  settlers,  fearing  miasmatic  dis- 
ease and  reputed  sickness  of  the 
low  lands  and  river  courses,  sought 
out  an  elevated  location  between  the 
Chenango  and  Susquehanna  river. 
He  took  up  100  acres  of  wilderness 
land  one  mile  west  of  Coventry  on 
what  is  known  as  the  Guy  Wylie 
farm,  and  there  raised  up  a  family 
to  usefulness,  honesty  and  sobriety. 
He  continued  his  residence  there  till 
his  death,  August  10,  1843,  aged  60. 
His  house  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  framed  house  on  that  part  of 
the  Livingston  tract  lying  in  Cov- 
entry and  the  first  on  the  Catskill 
and  Ithaca  turnpike,  between  Bain- 
bridge  and  Greene,  a  distance  of  six- 
teen miles.  There  town  meetings 
and  elections  were  regularly  held, 
as  well  as  stated  preaching  every 
fourth  Sabbath.  In  January,  1808, 
he  married  a  lady  of  his  native  town, 
who  died  in  1875  at  the  advanced 
age  of  91  years,  with  mind  unim- 
pared.  He  brought  her  to  a  log 
cabin  in  his  forest  home.  The  farm 
was  retained  in  the  hands  of  the 
family  till  about  1858,  when  Julius 
Beecher,  who  succeeded  his  father 
in  the  occupancy  sold  it  and  remov- 
ed to  Wellsville,  Allegany  county, 
and  died  there.  Parson  Beecher's 
other  children  were:  Sarah,  who 
married  a  son  of  Curtis  Stoddard 
and  after  his  death,  Amos  Yale,  and 
lived  on  the  Amos  Yale  place  in 
Guilford  where  her  husband  died, 
February  17,  1857,  aged  40;  Daniel, 
who  was  twice  married,  his  second 


wife,  Betsey  Parker,  they  lived  in 
Coventry;  Annette,  who  married 
Russel  M.  Smith  and  died  in  Cov- 
entry in  the  spring  of  1877;  Harris 
H.  and  Harry,  twins,  the  former  a 
physician  of  Norwich  who  wrote  a 
history  of  the  114th  Regiment,  N.  Y. 
S.  v.,  and  the  latter  of  whom  mar- 
ried the  widow  Phebe  Ann  Rice  and 
lived  in  Norwich;  Hector,  who  mar- 
ried Naomi  Leonard  of  Oxford,  with 
whom  he  lived  till  her  death,  then 
he  went  to  Norwich  and  lived  with 
his  daughter  until  his  death  Septem- 
ber 2,  1912,  aged  86  years.  El- 
bridge,  who  married  and  removed  to 
Ohio  and  died  there;  Jane,  who  mar- 
ried John  B.  Hoyt,  and  lived  in  Pitts- 
ton,  Pa.;  Julius,  married  Elizabeth 
Payne  and  after  her  death,  Sarah 
Ann  Stewart,  and  lived  in  Wellsville. 

Lewis  Warren,  son  of  Nathaniel 
W^arren  came  in  from  Watertown, 
Conn.,  1808-9,  and  settled  about 
three  miles  south  west  of  Coventry 
on  the  farm  where  Ira  Fairchild's 
did  live.  He  returned  to  Connecti- 
cut about  1811  and  remained  there 
till  1822.  He  married  Susa,  daugh- 
ter of  Harvey  Judd.  They  both  lived 
and  died  in  Coventry  at  a  good  old 
age,  she  being  94  years  old.  Their 
children  were:  Sally,  who  married 
Callitus  Frisbie;  Edward,  who  mar- 
ried Sally  Judd  for  his  first  wife  and 
Harriett  Underwood  for  his  second; 
Truman,  who  married  Harriet 
Wheeler;  George  and  Polly  never 
married;  Harvey  died  when  16  years 
old. 

Harvey  Judd  removed  from 
Watertown,  Conn.,  to  Delhi,  Dela- 
ware county,  in  1809,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  to  Coventry,  working 
farms  on  shares  till  1822  when  he 
and  his  son,  Harvey  P.,  bought  the 
farm  long  known  as  the  Judd  farm, 
about   one   mile  south   west  of  Cov- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


IS 


entry,  now  owned  by  William  Kelley. 
He  died  there  September  27,  1857, 
aged  94,  his  wife,  Sarah  Castle,  in 
1845,  aged  80,  and  his  son,  Harvey 
P.,  died  December  27,  1869,  aged 
64.  His  children  were:  Eri,  who 
married  and  lived  in  Watertown, 
Conn.;  Susa,  who  married  Lewis 
Warren,  who  moved  here  in  1822; 
Noah,  who  married  Nancy  Peartree 
and  lived  on  one  half  of  the  lot 
owned  by  Harvey  and  removed  to 
Greene  where  he  and  his  wife  both 
died;  and  Harvey,  as  has  been  said, 
lived  and  died  in  Coventry. 

Frances  Kales  came  from  Albany 
in  1811  and  settled  on  land  in  the 
south  line  of  the  town,  lately  owned 
by  Charles  Clifford.  Kales  and  his 
wife  both  were  of  Irish  descent  and 
both  died  there,  the  former  in  April, 
1852.  the  latter  in  February,  1847. 
John  and  William,  their  sons,  both 
lived  and  died  in  Coventry.  Wil- 
liam was  a  member  of  the  Assembly 
in   1858. 

David  Hungerford  emigrated  from 
Watertown,  Conn.,  his  native  place 
in  1812  and  settled  about  three 
miles  south  west  of  Coventry,  where 
his  son  Chauncey  has  lived  most  of 
the  time  since  his  birth  in  1830. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  as  well  as 
farmer.  He  continued  to  reside 
there  until  his  death,  January  12, 
1860,  aged  80  years.  His  wife,  Anna 
Y.  Beckwith,  a  native  of  Vermont, 
died  in  1883,  at  the  ripe  age  of  100 
years,  4  months  and  some  days  with 
mental  faculties  but  little  impaired. 
He  married  in  Watertown,  and  his 
children  were:  Maria,  who  married 
Moses  Hatch  and  lived  and  died  in 
Kettleville;  Susan,  who  married 
Harvey  P.  Judd,  lived  and  died  in 
Coventry;  Rachel,  wife  of  John 
Gobies,  lived  and  died  in  Fulton 
City,    111.;    Lavinna,     who     married 


Joseph  Snell  and  died  in  Kettleville 
March  5,  1849.  All  the  above  nam- 
ed children  were  born  in  Connecti- 
cut. Those  born  in  Coventry,  were: 
Sally,  a  maiden  lady  living  with 
her  brother  on  the  homestead;  Anna, 
widow  of  Towsend  Barnum,  lived  ia 
Hastings,  Minn.;  Laura,  wife  of 
Ralph  Beard,  who  lived  in  Coventry; 
David,  who  married  Martha  Ann 
Castle,  lived  in  Kansas;  and  Chaun- 
cey, who  lived  on  the  homestead. 
They  are  all  dead  at  this  date  un- 
less it  is  David. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  in  the 
locality  of  Coventryville  and  on  the 
road  extending  north  into  the  south 
part  of  Oxford  were  from  Cheshire, 
Conn.,  from  which  fact  the  little 
hamlet  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
town  derives  its  name  and  the  road 
in  question  is  known  as  Cheshire 
street. 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Early    Settlers    Still    Continued. 

The  Williams  Family. 

Among  the  early  settlers  was  one 
Caleb  Williams,  who  married 
Mahitabel  Walker  and  came  into 
this  country  from  Wales;  settled 
about  one  mile  south  of  Church 
Hollow  near  where  William  Pears- 
all,  now  deceased,  lived  for  many 
years.  Although  it  was  not  in  this 
town  we  speak  of  it  but  because 
several  of  the  children  were  prom- 
inent citizens  of  Coventry.  Their 
children  were:  Lois,  who  died 
young;  Caleb  Samuel,  Stephen  Wal- 
ker, Hiram,  Daniel,  Mahitabel,  Har- 
ley,  Henry,  Simon,  Julia,  Evaline  and 
Lois.  Caleb  married  Cordelia  Bid- 
well  and  lived  several  years  two 
miles  west  of  Coventry,  on  the  farm 
known  as  the  Ezra  Foote  farm.  Ho 
afterwards  moved  to  Rockford,  111., 
and    died    there.        Samuel    married 


u 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


Phoebe  Pearsall  and  lived  on  the 
homestead  for  several  years.  He 
moved  to  Triangle,  where  he  lived 
for  many  years,  thence  to  North 
Fenton,  where  they  both  died.  They 
had  four  children  two  died  young. 
Their  son,  Hamilton,  married  and 
had  a  family.  Their  daughter  Aman- 
da married  Nelson  Baker  of  Greene, 
where  they  lived  a  few  years,  after- 
wards they  went  to  Nebraska  where 
she  died,  leaving  one  son  who  is 
married  and  has  two  children.  Nel- 
son and  his  son  are  doing  a  large 
business  farming  near  Norfolk,  Va. 
Stephen  Walker  married  Louisa 
Easton,  and  lived  in  the  south  east 
part  of  the  town  for  many  years. 
He  had  a  large  family,  the  majority 
of  which  died  young.  One  died  about 
four  years  ago  in  Kansas  aged  82 
years.  Theodore  died  in  the  army 
during  the  Civil  war  September  24, 
1863,  aged  25  years.  He  was  in 
Company  E.  1st  Regiment,  Minne- 
sota Vol.  Ellina  went  to  Wisconsin, 
married  Elisha  Sanders  and  had 
four  children;  died  March  29,  1876, 
aged  40  years.  Willard  married 
twice,  both  wives  deceased.  He  is 
now  living  with  his  son  in  Cuba,  N. 
Y.  Oliver  P.,  is  now  living  in  Cov- 
entry; Chauncey  S.,  died  in  Cov- 
entry January  31,  1912.  Oliver  P., 
and  Willard  are  the  only  ones  living. 
Hiram  was  killed  by  an  accident 
when  a  young  man,  while  working 
in  the  woods  with  a  yoke  of  cattle. 
Daniel  married  Thankful  Blakeslee 
and  worked  at  shoe  making  for  a 
good  many  years,  then  farmed  it  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Juliand 
a  little  south  of  R.  Buckley's,  from 
there  he  went  west  for  a  few  years, 
came  back,  lived  and  died  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  T.  M.  Williams, 
a  little  north  of  Coventryville.  They 
had  five  children:     Albert,  who  mar- 


ried Jane  Elizabeth  Keyes,  was  a 
shoe  maker  and  now  lives  in  Bing- 
hamton;  Polly,  who  married  Sher- 
man Pearsall;  Thankful  married 
Alonzo  Pearsall;  Wilbert  married 
Anna  Brainard;  Clement  married 
Laura  Briggs,  all  deceased  but  Al- 
bert. Mehitable  married  William 
Pearsall.  They  had  five  children. 
Washington  married  a  Miss  Sanford 
and  lived  on  the  old  homestead.  Eg- 
bert married  a  sister  of  Washing- 
ton's wife;  Susan  and  Caroline  never 
married;  Sarah  married  George 
Suttle,  and  lived  at  West  Colesville 
till  quite  recently.  They  now  live  in 
Binghamton.  Harley  married  and 
lived  in  this  town  many  years  on  the 
north  part  of  what  was  till  quite 
lately  the  James  Whitlock  farm; 
later  removed  to  Michigan.  Henry 
married  and  went  to  Michigan. 
Simon  married  Polly  Ann  Tremain 
and  lived  in  Coventry  on  the  south 
part  of  the  Whitlock  farm.  He  after- 
wards moved  to  Clarksville,  Alle- 
gany county,  N.  Y.  Julia  Evaline 
married  Palmer  Spearbeck;  lived  in 
these  parts  for  a  while  then  moved 
to  Michigan.  Louis  never  married. 
They  were  all  Christian  people  and 
strong  supporters  of  the  three 
churches   here. 

Clark  Smith  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts a  single  man  and  married 
Lois  Kelsey  of  Jericho,  now  Afton. 
Lived  in  Nineveh  a  few  years,  mov- 
ed to  Coventry  and  settled  about 
four  miles  south  of  Coventry  and 
lived  until  his  death  on  the  farm 
where  his  son  Edward  now  lives,  he 
being  the  only  son  living,  and  now 
in  his  82d  year.  Clark  Smith  was 
born  May  31,  1782.  His  children 
were:  Albert  Smith,  a  carpenter, 
went  west;  Loisa  married  Alanson 
Roe,  who  had  seven  children,  one 
Mrs.    Bristol,   lives   in   Harpursville; 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


15 


lived  and  died  in  this  town.  He  was 
a  farmer;  Harvey  S.,  a  minister, 
died  in  Missouri;  Russel  S.,  was  a 
deacon  of  the  Second  Congregational 
church  and  a  farmer,  lived  and  died 
in  Coventry;  Carlo  S.,  farmer,  lived 
and  died  at  Doraville,  in  the  town  of 
Colesville.  One  son,  Warren,  and  a 
grandson,  Francis,  now  live  in  Dora- 
ville. Adaline  died  at  the  age  of  22 
years.  Augustus,  was  for  many 
years  a  farmer  in  the  town,  but 
spent  his  last  years  in  Athens,  Pa., 
with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Sawtell, 
who  had  a  large  family,  one  son  a 
minister.  Cyrus,  a  farmer,  lived  and 
died  in  the  town,  one  child,  Mrs.  C. 
G.  Beardslee,  and  her  two  sons, 
grandchildren,  and  one  granddaugh- 
ter; Rhoda  A.,  married  Luther  Dort, 
and  lived  in  Harpursville;  later  mov- 
ed to  the  west;  Diana  L.,  married  S. 
A.  Beardsley,  and  had  three  chil- 
dren: Alice,  at  home,  Clark,  a  min- 
ister, and  Alvin  who  died  when  a 
young  man.  Mary  Smith  died  at 
two  years  of  age.  Edward  C,  a 
farmer  lived  on  the  old  farm.  Had 
five  children:  Mary,  who  married 
a  Mr.  Clayton,  and  lives  in  Arizona, 
had  a  large  family  of  children. 
Clark  married  Libbie,  daughter  of 
John  Manning,  is  a  farmer  living 
one  half  mile  east  of  his  father's, 
has  two  sons,  and  has  been  road 
commissioner  for  several  years; 
Fred,  who  married  Nellie,  daughter 
of  George  Paddleford,  and  lives  with 
his  father  on  the  old  homestead,  has 
one  daughter.  The  Smiths  have  all 
been  very  prominent  men  and  strong 
pillars  in  the  Second  Congregational 
church  of  Coventry,  nearly  always 
at  the  church,  rain  or  shine. 

This  incident  is  related  of  Clark 
Smith.  One  day  he  was  coming  up 
from  the  Mandeville  place  through 
the   woods   and   a   panther   followed 


by  the  side  of  him.  He  had  a  saw 
in  one  hand  and  a  jug  in  the  other 
and  kept  the  panther  at  bay  by 
rattling  them  together  until  he  got 
within  sight  of  home,  when  he  called 
and  his  wife  left  two  little  children 
on  the  floor,  ran  out  with  a  pine 
knot  all  afire  and  scared  the  panther 
away. 

The    Manning    Family 

Nathaniel  Manning  was  born  at 
Oxford,  Mass.  He  early  came  to  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  marriage  was  living  at  Rens- 
selaer, Albany  county.  About  1799, 
if  the  recollection  of  his  descend- 
ants is  correct,  he  came  to  Chenango 
county  and  settled  in  Coventry  on 
what  was  then  known  as  the  Harpur 
tract,  two  and  one-half  miles  south 
of  Coventry.  He  owned  about  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  was  a 
well  to  do  farmer.  He  held  several 
town  offices,  including  that  of  justice 
of  the  peace.  The  last  year  of  his 
life  he  resided  with  his  son  Lewis  on 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Joslyn 
farm  and  died  there.  He  was  buried 
in  the  Wylie  cemetery.  He  was  mar- 
ried at  Charlton,  Mass.,  February  12, 
179  2,  to  Anna,  daughter  of  Ebenezer 
and  Christina  White,  who  was  born 
October  5,  1771,  at  Charlton.  In 
1813  she  and  Nathaniel  sold  her 
rights  in  her  father's  estate  in  West- 
chester county.     She  died  March   5, 

1848,  and    Mr.    Manning    August    6, 

1849,  both  at  Coventry.  Their  chil- 
dren: Nancy,  born  in  1794,  died 
unmarried;  Charles  White,  born 
July  20,  1796,  at  Renssalaer;  Bet- 
sey, born  September  13,  1799,  at 
Coventry;  George,  born  January  22, 
1802,  at  Coventry;  Ira,  born  in  Cov- 
entry February  19,  1807;  Anna, 
born  April  9,  1809,  at  Coventry; 
Abigail    C,    born    in   Coventry,    Jan- 


16 


HISTORY   OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


uary    5,    1812,    died    November    22, 
1832,  unmarried. 

Samuel  Manning  was  born  Decem- 
ber 22,  1774,  at  Oxford,  Mass.  He 
moved  to  Coventry,  where  he  after- 
wards settled.  He  was  a  farmer 
and  his  tract  of  twenty-five  acres 
was  given  to  him  by  the  town  for 
service  rendered  said  town,  and  it 
is  believed  he  was  in  some  way  a 
land  agent.  He  was  married  at 
Coventry  in  October,  1827,  to  Mrs. 
Fannie  Osborn  Woodward,  born 
April  19,  1787,  in  Vermont.  She 
died  March  6,  1868,  and  Mr.  Man- 
ning March  18,  1845,  both  at  Cov- 
entry. His  children  were:  Isaiah, 
born  April  24,  1830,  at  Coventry, 
had  one  grandchild,  Mrs.  George 
Mayo.  He  was  a  millwright  or  ma- 
chinist and  sawyer  which  occupation 
he  followed  until  he  was  killed  by 
the  falling  of  a  tree,  October  18, 
1873,  at  Afton.  Charles  White 
Manning  was  reared  and  lived  in 
Coventry  for  many  years  but  later 
moved  to  the  west.  He  had  eight 
children.  Two  sons  died  in  the  Civil 
war.  Betsey  Manning  married  Cal- 
vin Edgerton.  Their  children  were: 
Eliza  Ann  Edgerton,  who  married 
Cyrus  Smith.  As  has  been  said  be- 
fore, George  Washington  Edgerton, 
born  October  1,  1825,  and  died  June 
19,  1895,  was  married;  William 
Henry  and  Henry  Leroy,  both  died 
young.  Ira  Manning  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1807,  at  Coventry  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Frank  Pierce. 
He  resided  in  his  native  town  and 
his  education  was  received  in  the 
common  schools.  About  the  time  of 
his  marriage  he  purchased  a  farm 
adjoining  that  of  his  father.  He 
was  Supervisor  of  Coventry,  and  as- 
sessor for  several  years.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  A.,  daughter  of  James 
and  Lucy  Pomeroy  Treadway,  born 


January  27,  1808,  in  Connecticut. 
She  died  October  23,  1868,  and  Mr. 
Manning  October  18,  1865,  both  at 
Coventry,  where  they  were  buried. 
Children  born  at  Coventry:  Abbie 
Jane,  born  August  8,  1835,  resided 
at  Coventry  and  married  Robert,  son 
of  Robert  and  Mary  Love  Wilson, 
born  1827,  in  Ireland,  and  died  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1886,  at  Greene,  Chenan- 
go county;  no  children.  He  was  a 
prominent  farmer,  a  kind  and  oblig- 
ing citizen.  John  Waters,  born  May 
20,  1837;  William  Seward,  born  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1839;  Ira  Delos,  born  No- 
vember 20,  1842;  Mary  Ann,  born 
June  27,  1848,  resided  at  Greene, 
married  there  June  20,  1877,  Allen, 
son  of  John  and  Sarah  Weeks 
Handy;  Napier,  born  January  7, 
1840,  in  Brooklyn.  Children  born 
in  Brooklyn:  Sarah  Weeks,  born 
December  22,  1880;  John  Dwight, 
born  January  10,  1882.  Libbie  Em- 
ma, born  May  1,  1851,  died  Janu- 
ary 12,  1870;  Anna  Manning,  born 
April  9,  1809,  at  Coventry,  died 
there  February  13,  1866,  married 
November  15,  1829,  Joseph,  son  of 
Joseph  and  Hannah  Wheeler  Fair- 
child,  born  July  24,  1806,  at 
Watertown,  Conn.,  and  died  March 
29,  1888,  at  Coventry.  Children 
born  at  Coventry:  Betsey  Ann 
Fairchild,  December  4,  J830,  mar- 
ried October  4,  1849,  Orin  W. 
Childs;  Ira  Manning  Fairchild, 
born  May  12,  1833,  resided  at  Cov- 
entry until  1894,  and  then  removed 
to  Sidney,  married  December  15, 
1869,  Frances  E.  Tuckey.  Their 
daughter,  Ann  E.,  married  James  G. 
Simonson.  Charles  Leroy  Fair- 
child,  born  May  17,  1836,  died  June 
28,  1895,  at  Bainbridge.  Married 
December  28,  1864,  Sally  A.  Salis- 
bury. Nancy  Louisa  Fairchild, 
born  March  2,  1839,  died  September 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


17 


30,  1851,  at  Coventry.  George  Rus- 
sel  Fairchild,  born  January  16,  1842, 
died  September  24,  1851.  John 
Henry  Fairchild,  born  April  29, 
1845,  died  October  11,  1869,  at  Co  - 
entry.  Married  January  5,  1869, 
Eugenia  Watrous.  Lewis  Wheeler 
Fairchild,  born  November  9,  1847, 
died  September  26,  1851.  Since 
writing  about  the  Manning  family 
more  history  has  been  put  into  my 
hands.  John  Waters  Manning,  was 
born  May  20,  1837,  at  Coventry. 
His  early  education  was  received  in 
the  common  schools,  afterward  he 
attended  Oxford  Academy  at  Oxford 
for  several  terms.  His  death  oc- 
curred October  20,  1911.  He  was  a 
farmer  in  Coventry  and  married 
Martha  Wealthy  Hull  of  Oxford, 
May  9,  1866.  Children  born  at  Cov- 
entry: Frank  Maurice,  a  farmer  of 
Coventry,  born  August  27,  1867, 
married  Lucy  Wilson;  Sarah  Eliza- 
beth, born  November  30,  1869,  is  a 
resident  of  Coventry,  married  Sep- 
tember 8,  1898,  Clark  E.  Smith, 
born  February  24,  1866;  William 
Alanson,  a  farmer  of  Coventry,  born 
January  4,  1872,  married  Eugenie 
Madigan;  Mary  Wealthy,  born  Oc- 
tober 2,  1874,  and  died  July  31, 
1889. 

William  Seward  Manning,  born 
February  24,  1839,  at  Coventry, 
married  (1st)  in  New  York  city 
June  25,  1867,  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Robert  Wilson,  born  in  Greene  in 
1840,  died  October  16,  1880;  and 
(2d),  June  14,  1874,  Margaret  R., 
daughter  of  George  N.  and  Lucretia 
Willoughby  Havens,  born  October 
26,  1841,  at  Oxford;  resided  in  1874, 
at  West  Exter.  Mr.  Manning  died 
October  14,  1876.  Children  of  Wil- 
liam S.  and  Sarah  Manning:  Wil- 
liam H.,  born  December  9,  1869,  in 
New  York  city;   died  June  30,  1870, 


at  Smithville.  Children  of  William 
S.  and  Margaret  R.  Manning;  Fanny 
Havens,  born  March  5,  1875,  at 
Oxford.  She  graduated  from  Oxford 
Academy  in  189  2,  and  from  Kraus 
Seminary,  New  York  city,  where  she 
took  a  Kindergarten  course  in  1895. 
She  then  taught  in  a  Mission  school 
in  Brooklyn  under  supervision  of 
Plymouth  church  until  1897,  when 
the  school  being  given  up  she  en- 
gaged in  public  school  work  at 
Newark,  N.  J.,  until  her  marriage 
August  2  2,  1900,  to  Rev.  Alfred 
Rickard  Burke.  Ira  Delos  Manning, 
born  November  20,  1842,  at  Cov- 
entry. His  education  was  obtained 
at  district  schools  and  the  academies 
of  Oxford  and  Norwich.  When  a 
young  man  he  taught  school  twelve 
terms.  He  resided  on  the  Manning 
homestead  for  a  number  of  years  as 
a  farmer  then  moved  down  into  the 
hollow  west  of  John  Manning's  and 
worked  both  farms.  He  has  been 
commissioner  for  six  years.  He 
married  September  2,  1870,  Julia 
Eliza,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Eliza 
Miller  Sanford,  born  August  14, 
1842,  in  New  York  city.  Children: 
Leigh  Delos,  born  August  28,  1871, 
at  Coventry,  died  March  4,  1872. 
Julia  May,  born  August  8,  1878.  at 
Oxford.  I  think  she  is  a  graduate  of 
some  academy,  and  is  now  teaching 
in  some  High  school.  About  three 
years  ago,  owing  to  Mrs.  Manning's 
poor  health,  they  moved  to  Greene 
where  after  a  long  illness  she  pass- 
ed away.  I  should  have  said  in 
speaking  of  John  and  William 
Manning  that  they  both  taught 
school  a  number  of  terms  each. 
Your  scribe  went  to  school  to  Wil- 
liam   three   terms. 

The  Fairchild  Family. 
Joseph  Fairchild,  Sr.,  was  born  in 
Watertown,  Conn.,  in  1758,  and  liv- 


18 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


ed  there  until  1811,  when  he  moved 
to  Coventry  and  bought  a  farm  ad- 
joining David  Hungerford's  of  Lewis 
Barren,  or  his  father,  and  lived 
there  until  he  died  in  1842,  aged 
85  years.  His  wife  was  Hannah 
Wheeler,  and  she  died  in  1838,  aged 
77  years.  They  raised  nine  chil- 
dren: Bille,  Chloe,  Agar,  Hannah, 
Hulda,  Sally,  Nancy,  Polly  and  Jos- 
eph. Part  of  them  settled  in  Con- 
necticut, the  three  boys  came  with 
him  or  soon  after.  Joseph,  Jr.,  be- 
ing only  five  years  old  at  the  time. 
Joseph,  Sr.,  was  three  years  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolulionary  war.  He 
and  his  son,  Joseph,  Jr.,  lived  on  the 
same  farm  the  remainder  of  their 
lives,  it  remaining  in  the  family  of 
the  three  generations  eighty-three 
years.  Joseph  Pairchild,  Jr.,  mar- 
ried Anna  Manning.  They  had  seven 
children:  Betsey  Ann,  married 
Orrin  Childs  and  they  had  three 
sons:  Prank  Jr.,  Charles  and  Sey- 
mour. Charles  died  when  26  years 
of  age.  Frank  married  Susan 
Squires,  and  Seymour  married  Irene 
Hyde.  Orin  Childs  settled  on  the 
Gage  Hinkley  place  for  eighteen 
years,  then  sold  and  went  to 
Ouaquaga  in  1868,  and  lived  there 
until  his  death  in  1908,  and  his 
widow  lives  there  with  her  son 
Prank.  John  Pairchild  married 
Eugenia  Watrous  and  died  about 
eight  months  after  in  1869.  Charles 
married  Sally  Ann  Salisbury  in 
1864,  and  lived  on  the  homestead 
three  years.  He  afterward  settled 
in  Sanford  and  lived  there  twenty 
years,  then  moved  to  Bainbridge, 
where  he  died  in  1895,  four  months 
after  moving  there,  aged  59  years. 
His  wife  died  three  years  after,  in 
1898,  aged  56  years.  Anna  Pair- 
child,  wife  of  Joseph  Pairchild,  died 
in   1866,   aged   57   years.      Ira  Pair- 


child  married  Francis  Tuckey  in 
1869,  and  lived  on  the  old  home- 
stead with  his  father  while  he  lived 
and  five  years  after,  when  the 
place  was  sold  and  Ira  moved  to 
Sidney  where  he  now  lives.  They 
had  one  daughter,  Anna,  who  mar- 
ried J.  S.  Simonson,  who  is  in  busi- 
ness in  Sidney.  Belle  Pairchild  was 
twice  married  and  raised  eleven 
children.  Agar  moved  to  Ohio;  Sally, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Pairchild,  Sr., 
married  James  Wylie  and  settled  on 
the  farm  known  as  the  George  Wylie 
farm.  They  raised  seven  children: 
Thomas,  Russel,  Hoel,  George,  Han- 
nah, Hubbard  and  Wheeler.  The 
two  oldest  settled  in  Iowa.  Hoel  in 
Sodus,  N.  Y.,  and  George  on  the 
homestead.  Hubbard  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town.  Hannah  died  in 
184  5,  aged  21  years.  Wheeler  died, 
aged  12  years.  George  in  1901, 
aged  80  years  and  Hubbard,  January 
16,  1910,  aged  82  years.  Sally 
Pairchild  Wylie  died  in  1864.  Part 
of  the  history  of  the  Pairchild  fam- 
ily was  not  handed  in  till  after  the 
other  was  wrote  so  please  excuse  us 
for  getting  a  little  of  it  in  twice. 

The  Horton  Family. 

Marcus  N.  Horton  and  Clark  L. 
Horton  were  former  residents  of 
Coventry.  Their  grandfather,  Ben- 
jamin Horton,  was  born  at  Nauga- 
tuck.  Conn.,  in  1793.  In  1818  they 
moved  with  their  family  of  eleven 
children  with  ox  teams  and  wagons 
from  their  home  in  Connecticut  to 
Columbus,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y., 
where  he  purchased  a  farm.  Their 
journey  occupied  eleven  days,  com- 
ing by  the  way  of  Albany  to  cross 
the  Hudson  river.  About  1830  Ben- 
jamin Horton  and  family  removed  to 
Coventry  and  purchased  a  farm  one 
and    one-half    miles    north    west    of 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


19 


Coventry  village,  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Folds.  Seven  years  later  this  farm 
was  sold  and  a  farm  was  purchased 
in  the  south  west  portion  of  the 
town,  now  occupied  by  his  great- 
grandson,  Leslie  Horton,  where  Ben- 
jamin Horton  died  in  1841.  His 
wife,  Peninah,  died  later  at  the 
same  place  at  the  advanced  age  of 
93  years.  Benjamin  Horton's  fam- 
ily consisted  of  eleven  children: 
Newton,  who  married  a  Tuttle  and 
settled  in  Columbus;  Amelia  mar- 
ried Seldon  Lewis;  Julia  married 
Cornelius  Conover;  Clarissa  married 
Thomas  Hyde;  Germon  married 
Rhoda  Tread  way;  Leonard  married 
Jemima  Conover;  George  W.,  mar- 
ried Harriett  Plagg;  Hamilton,  mar- 
ried Matilda  Butcher;  Almira,  mar- 
ried Charles  Beardsley;  Denison, 
married  Catherine  M.  Brown;  Lewis 
P.,  married  Martha  A.  Shapley;  Ger- 
mon lived  most  of  his  life  in  Cov- 
entry and  had  no  children;  Leonard 
was  a  wagon  maker,  having  learned 
the  trade  by  a  three  years  appren- 
ticeship. He  worked  at  his  trade 
making  and  repairing  wagons  at 
West  Coventry,  but  later  moved  to 
the  east  part  of  the  town  at  the  old 
homestead  where  Clark  L.  Horton 
was  born,  and  there  he  worked  at 
his  trade,  and  later  took  up  farming. 
Children  of  Leonard  and  Jemima 
Horton  were  four:  Marcus,  who 
married  Adeline  Briseck;  Emily  J., 
who  married  Wells  Streeter;  Avis 
H.,  who  married  S.  D.  Stillman  and 
Clark  L.,  who  married  Martha  Par- 
ker. Marcus  N.  Horton  early  sought 
an  education,  and  through  his  own 
earnest  efforts  graduated  from  Wil- 
liams College,  Mass.,  and  for  a  long 
time  followed  teaching  as  a  calling, 
in  which  he  became  very  successful. 
He  later  became  superintendent  of 
schools  of  the  city  of  Williamsport 


and  at  Franklin,  Pa.,  and  was  at 
one  time  school  commissioner  for 
the  southern  district  of  Chenango 
county.  He  reached  the  advanced 
age  of  past  80  years.  He  lived  at 
Bloomfield,  N.  J.;  Marcus  N.,  has 
two  sons.  Edward  H.  Horton,  is  a 
teacher  and  principal  of  the  Pine 
street  school  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y., 
which  position  he  has  held  for  many 
years;  and  John  M.  Horton,  who  is 
a  valuable  employe  of  the  Chemical 
National  Bank  of  New  York  city. 
Emily  J.,  became  a  teacher  and  fol- 
lowed the  calling  many  years,  both 
in  district  and  High  schools.  Late 
in  life  she  married  Wells  Streeter, 
whom  she  survived,  and  died  at  the 
old  homestead  near  Coventryville  in 
1899.  Avis  A.,  was  also  at  one 
time  preceptress  of  the  Walton 
Academy.  She  married  S.  D.  Still- 
man  of  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
lived  with  him  until  her  death  in 
1895.  Clark  L.,  was  born  in  1847, 
and  was  educated  at  the  district 
schools,  Oxford  Academy,  and  Jeffer- 
son County  Institute;  taught  a  few 
terms  and  settled  down  to  farming 
on  the  Warren  farm  near  Coventry- 
ville which  he  purchased.  He  made 
farming  pay,  also  was  remarkably 
successful  as  a  business  manager 
of  a  creamery  for  twenty  years, 
which  had  been  established  at  Cov- 
entryville. In  1894  he  leased  his  farm 
and  moved  with  his  family  to  Afton 
where  he  actively  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business,  and  also  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.  He  died  suddenly  in  Afton 
on  the  7th  of  May,  1912.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  one  daughter, 
Rachel  H.,  who  married  Elmer  Tew 
of  Oxford,  and  now  resides  in  Afton, 
and  one  son,  Harry  G.,  who  married 
Fannie  Hare  of  Harpursville,  and  re- 


HISTORY   OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


sides  in  Afton  and  has  continued  in 
the  business  that  he  commenced 
with  his  father.  George  W.  Horton 
lived  in  the  west  part  of  the  town 
for  a  great  many  years  and  engaged 
in  farming.  He  had  three  daugh- 
ters: Marie,  who  married  Jack 
Elliott;  Susan  and  Sarah.  Hamilton 
left  Coventry  when  young  and  lived 
in  the  west.  He  had  a  son,  Ezra, 
who  lived  in  Sherburne,  N.  Y.  Den- 
ison  went  to  Chicago  when  a  young 
man,  when  the  city  was  comparitive- 
ly  small,  and  grew  up  with  the  place 
and  attained  great  prosperity  and 
wealth.  Much  of  the  latter  he  lost 
in  the  great  Chicago  fire.  His  chil- 
dren were  two  daughters.  Lewis  B., 
the  youngest  son,  became  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  homestead  and  cared 
for  his  mother  in  her  last  days.  He 
had  one  son,  Albert,  who  died  soon 
after  he  reached  manhood,  but  not 
until  after  he  was  married  and  be- 
came the  father  of  a  son.  Leslie, 
who  was  brought  up  by  his  grand- 
father, from  whom  he  received  the 
old  farm  where  he  still  lives  as  the 
sole  representative  of  the  Hortons 
in  Coventry. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Settlers   That    Came   a    Little   Later. 

The  Hawkins  Family. 

Elijah  Hawkins  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  town  at  Cov- 
entry, He  came  from  Massachu- 
setts, the  exact  date  being  unknown. 
He  settled  on  the  southern  part  of 
what  is  known  as  the  William  Kales 
farm  on  the  east  side  of  the  road 
and  north  of  the  county  line  of  Cov- 
entry and  Colesville.  His  house  was 
situated  a  little  north  west  of  the 
old  family  cemetery  of  the  Hawkins 
and  Pike  families,  which  can  be 
seen  from  the  highway.  His  farm 
consisted     of     over    three    hundred 


acres  and  was  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  improved  farms  in  the  town  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  It  included 
besides  the  part  mentioned  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Ransom  Adkins,  also 
the  farm  formerly  owned  by  Pome- 
roy  Adkins,  and  other  pieces  of  land 
near. 

Not  far  from  the  year  1800  the 
father  of  Elijah  wrote  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  his  son  that  his  mother 
was  dead,  and  said  he  thought  of 
coming  west  if  game  was  plenty. 
Elijah  immediately  wrote  to  his 
father  and  told  him  to  come  and 
make  it  his  home  with  him,  for 
game  was  plenty.  The  father, 
Robert  Hawkins,  left  his  home  in 
Massachusetts  and  came  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life  with  his  son. 
He  spent  much  time  setting  out  fruit 
trees  on  his  son's  farm,  and  said  in 
years  later  that  he  did  not  expect  to 
live  to  eat  fruit  from  the  trees, 
but  had  for  a  good  many  years.  He 
shot  one  bear  after  he  came  to  Cov- 
entry. He  was  an  old  man  at  the 
time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  too 
old  to  carry  arms,  but  served  his 
country  as  a  guard  in  the  forts  of 
the  patriots.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Rebecca  Bowers, 
and  his  second  wife  was  Rachel 
Buck  Baldwin.  Two  children  of  his 
first  wife:  Lydia  and  Samuel,  never 
came  west  and  nothing  more  is  defi- 
nitely known  about  them.  Robert 
Hawkins  died  November  14,  1830, 
aged  101  years,  and  was  buried  on 
the  farm  in  the  family  cemetery. 
His  second  wife's  children  were: 
Eben,  Enoch,  Rebecca,  Mary  and 
Elijah.  Rebecca  Hawkins  married 
Joseph  Pike  and  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts after  her  family  had  grown 
up.  The  family  settled  near  the 
Hawkins  family,  just  over  the  coun- 
ty  line   in   Colesville.      Rebecca  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


21 


Joseph  Pike  had  a  family  of  six 
sons  and  one  daughter,  whose  de- 
scendants are  scattered  almost 
throughout  the  United  States.  Jos- 
eph Pike,  was  an  old  Revolutionary 
soldier  and  died  February  19,  1842, 
aged  82  years.  Rebecca  Hawkins 
Pike  died  June  26,  1817,  aged  54 
years.  She  was  the  first  person  for 
whom  the  sod  was  broken  in  the 
family  plot  which  has  before  been 
mentioned.  In  the  spring  of  1832, 
Elijah  Hawkins  was  taken  ill,  from 
which  he  knew  there  was  no  re- 
covery. He  had  no  family  except 
his  wife,  so  he  gave  all  his  property 
to  his  nephew,  Malcom  M.  Hawkins, 
to  care  for  him  and  his  wife  while 
they  lived.  Malcom  M.  Hawkins  at 
that  time  owned  and  occupied  the 
north  part,  west  of  the  highway  of 
what  has  long  been  known  as  the 
Asa  Mandeville  farm.  His  farm  con- 
sisted of  fifty  acres,  a  saw  mill  which 
he  operated  himself.  He  had  re- 
sided there  nearly  twelve  years, 
when  he  sold  and  removed  to  the 
farm  of  his  uncle,  Elijah  Hawkins. 
He  died  May  27,  1832,  aged  65 
years.  His  wife  died  about  two  years 
later.  Malcom  N.  Hawkins  was 
named  in  honor  of  Dr.  Malcom  Niv- 
en,  a  friend  and  physician  of  the 
family.  He  occupied  the  old  Haw- 
kins farm  for  many  years.  He  was 
born  on  a  part  of  the  farro  just 
north  of  the  Coventry  line,  in  Cov- 
entry, July  22,  1799.  His  parents 
were  among  the  pioneers  of  the 
towns  of  Coventry  and  Windsor  and 
he  was  the  second  son  of  thirteen 
children.  The  records  of  the  Wind- 
sor Presbyterian  church  gives  the 
following  baptisms  of  their  family: 
March  31,  1813,  at  a  church  meet- 
ing held  at  the  house  of  David 
Hotchkiss,  these  children  were  bap- 
tized,    Malcom,     Benjamin,    Philota, 


Robert,  Rachel,  Charlotte,  Mary, 
Dorcas,  and  Elijah,  children  of  Je- 
mima and  Enoch  Hawkins,  by  the 
Rev.  Ebenezer  Kingsbury.  June  13, 
1813,  at  Windsor,  David  and  Daniel 
baptized  by  Rev.  Joshua  Johnson. 
Malcom  N.  Hawkins  married  Fannie 
Fowler,  formerly  of  Bennington,  Vt., 
they  were  married  in  Coventry  by 
Squire  Hutchinson  about  1820.  The 
names  of  their  children  and  date  of 
birth  is  as  follows: 

Eleanor,  born  June  14,  1825. 

Elizabeth,  born  December  6,  1828. 

Eben,   born  January   14,   1831. 

Emily,  born  March   6,   1833. 

Thomas,  born  October  15,  1834. 

Nathan,  born  June  30,  1837. 

Alfred,  born  September  17,   1840. 

Chloe,  born   April   19,   1843. 

All  these  were  born  in  Coventry 
and  all  removed  to  Windsor,  N.  Y., 
except  Eleanor,  when  quite  young, 
where  they  have  spent  their  lives. 
Malcom  N.  Hawkins  sold  part  of  his 
farm  east  of  the  highway  to  Wil- 
liam Kales  and  removed  to  the 
western  part  where  he  built  a  new 
house  and  grist  mill  and  saw  mill 
combined.  After  living  there  several 
years  he  sold  to  his  son-in-law,  Pom- 
eroy  Adkins,  and  removed  to  Wind- 
sor in  1849,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  built  another  saw 
mill  and  operated  it  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  did  much  to  convert  the 
wilderness  into  lumber.  He  died 
July  31,  1877,  aged  78  years.  All 
his  children  have  been  dead  for 
many  years,  except  Eben  and  Thomas 
and  the  youngest  daughter,  Mrs. 
Chloe      Pulz.  These      reside      in 

Windsor. 

Ransom  Adkins,  came  from  Con- 
necticut in  the  autumn  of  1815  with 
an  ox  team  and  brought  his  wife  and 
one  child.  He  bought  and  settled  on 
the   north   east   part   of   the  Juliand 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


farm,  for  a  number  of  years  occupied 
by  the  Whitten  family.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  as  carpenter,  built  new 
buildings  and  improved  his  farm. 
He  died  August  30,  1823,  aged  34 
years,  leaving  his  wife  with  five 
small  children.  The  children's 
names  and  dates  of  births  were  as 
follows:  Lucy,  born  in  1811,  in 
Connecticut;  Pomeroy  H.,  born  April 
28,  1816;  Adeline  and  Emiline,  born 
December  17,  1818;  Charles  Ran- 
som, born  May  22,  1822.  The  eldest 
daughter,  Lucy,  returned  to  Con- 
necticut after  the  death  of  her  father 
to  live  with  a  relative  where  she 
later  married  Benjamin  Hurlburt 
and  never  came  to  New  York  State 
but  once  again,  then  only  for  a  visit. 
She  died  past  60  years  of  age,  leav- 
ing three  daughters. 

Pomeroy  H.  Adkins,  married 
Eleanor,  daughter  of  Malcom  N. 
Hawkins  November  15,  1846.  Their 
children's  names  and  ages  were: 
Ransom  H.,  born  October  8,  1847; 
Malcom  H.,  born  April  27,  1851; 
Fannie  Elizabeth,  born  June  13, 
1855;  Lucy  Ann,  born  June  it, 
1858;  Ellen  Eliza,  born  April  12, 
1868.  Malcom  H.,  married  Cora  E. 
Root  of  Coventry,  February  20, 
1879.  They  have  since  resided  on 
the  old  Pike  farm  just  south  of  the 
county  line  in  Colesville  till  the 
spring  of  19  07  when  they  sold  their 
farm  and  removed  to  New  Ohio,  on 
the  old  McCollough  farm.  Ransom 
lives  with  his  brother  Malcom.  Fan- 
nie Elizabeth  married  William  H. 
Saxby  of  Windsor,  December  25, 
189  9,  where  they  have  since  resided. 
Lucy  Ann  married  Elmer  Seeley, 
-^-  J^wie  1,  1866.  They  lived  in  Cov- 
I  entry    several    years,     then     in     the 

spring  of  1898,  moved  on  the  home 
farm  of  her  parents  where  they  lived 
nine  years,   then  removed  to  Afton 


where  they  now  reside.  Ellen  Eliza, 
married  Andrew  Pearsall  of  Afton, 
May  29,  1895.  In  the  year  18^8 
they  moved  to  Windsor  where  they 
have  since  resided.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pomeroy"  Adkins  spent  most  of  their 
lives  in  Coventry.  He  spent  about 
two  years  in  Illinois  when  a  young 
man.  In  the  autumn  of  1863  they 
moved  from  Coventry  just  across  the 
line  in  the  town  of  Colesville,  where 
they  resided  at  the  time  of  their 
deaths.  Eleanor  Hawkins  Adkins 
died  March  10,  1895,  aged  70  years. 
Pomeroy  H.  Adkins  died  March  1^. 
1895,  aged  nearly  79  years.  There 
were  only  50  hours  difference  in 
their  deaths.  They  were  buried  in 
South  Windsor  cemetery  in  one 
grave.  Adeline  Hawkins  married 
Joseph  Stevens;  died  February  14, 
19  03,  aged  85  years.  They  had  one 
daughter,  Lenora,  who  married  Piatt 
Thompson.  She  died  young  leaving 
one  son,  Henry,  only  a  few  months 
old. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevens  spent  their 
married  life  on  the  Stevens  farm 
Avhich  was  located  on  the  road  be- 
tween Church  Hollow  and  Harpurs- 
ville,  Emiline  married  Daniel  Stev- 
ens, they  resided  several  years  on  the 
Church  Hollow  road.  He  was  a 
brother  of  Joseph  Stevens.  They 
afterwards  removed  to  Lisle,  Broome 
county,  and  spent,  the  rest  of  their 
lives  in  that  vicinity.  Emeline  died 
in  February,  1898,  aged  80  years. 
Her  husband  having  died  many 
years  before.  Charles  Ransom  mar- 
ried Pamelia  Christman,  November 
1,  1846.  Two  children  were  born  to 
them:  Mary  A.  and  Charles  E.  The 
former  died  November  24,  1872;  the 
latter  resides  in  Paullina,  Iowa, 
Charles  Ransom  with  his  family 
moved  to  O'Brien  county,  Iowa,  in 
the  fall  of  1877,  where  his  wife  died 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


2S 


February  22,  1882.  He  married 
Lovina  Edgecomb  for  his  second 
wife.  He  died  March  27,  1900,  aged 
7  7  years.  Harry  Adltins,  a  brother 
of  Ransom,  came  from  the  east  about 
the  same  time  and  settled  on  what  is 
known  as  the  Bradley  Simmons  farm 
on  the  part  north  of  the  highway. 
He  had  a  family  of  four  daughters 
and  two  sons:  Ransom,  Henry,  Car- 
oline, Betsey,  Eunice  and  Lucinda. 
Ransom  died  when  a  young  man. 
Henry  married,  lived  in  Binghamton 
inany  years,  died  about  60  years  of 
age.  He  left  no  family  except  his 
wife.  Caroline  married  Richard 
Stone;  they  lived  on  the  Page  Brook 
till  the  time  of  their  death.  They 
left  no  children.  Betsey  married 
Oliver  Bennett.  They  resided  on 
Page  Brook  at  the  time  of  their 
death.  They  left  one  son,  Harry. 
Eunice  married  Mr.  Fineout.  She 
died  about  middle  age,  left  two  sons 
and  one  daughter.  Mr.  Fineout 
having  died  some  years  previous  to 
her  death.  Lucinda  married  Rufus 
Bennett.  They  resided  at  Chenango 
Forks,  where  she  is  now  living,  the 
only  surviving  one  of  her  father's 
family.  They  had  two  daughters: 
Irene  and  Jennie,  both  married  and 
died  young.  Harry  Adkins  married 
Polly  Clark.  They  are  both  buried 
in  the  old  Chapel  cemetery  in  Cov- 
entry. Phoebe  Adkins,  sister  of 
Harry  and  Ransom,  came  from  the 
East,  married  Mr.  Warner  and  lived 
near  Tunnel,  N.  Y.,  where  some  of 
her  descendants  still  reside.  Roxy 
Adkins,  widow  of  Ransom  Adkins, 
married  John  Fowler  in  the  later 
part  of  1824.  Their  children  were: 
Noah,  Hiram,  Alonzo,  Alfred,  Adelia 
and  Frederick.  All  of  these  are 
dead  except  Noah,  the  oldest  son, 
who  was  born  Sept.  6,  1825.  He 
married   Eliza  Ann   Packard,   March 


6,  1851.  They  reside  with  their  son, 
Charles  J.  Fowler,  near  Church  Hol- 
low. Roxy  Adkins  Fowler  died  Sept. 
24,  1860,  aged  67  years.  John  Fow- 
ler died  Nov.  8,  1879,  aged  83  years. 
He  was  formerly  from  Bennington 
county,  Vt.  They  were  buried  in  the 
old  Chapel  cemetery. 

Among  those  who  settled  in  town 
quite  early  was  William  Tallman, 
who  located  about  four  miles  south 
west  of  Coventry.  I  am  informed  he 
came  from  Pennsylvania  and  raised 
six  children:  Miranda,  Virgil,  Clark, 
Jane,  Callista  and  Adelbert.  Miran- 
da married  C.  K.  Pierce  of  Coventry; 
Jane  married  Whitney  Dusenberg  of 
Windsor;  Calista  married  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Ogden;  Adelbert  mar- 
ried Eliza  Kales;  Virgil  died  when 
18  years  old;  Clark  was  killed  in  the 
Civil  war. 

Reuben  Cary  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts about  1815,  and,  I  am  told 
settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Martha  A.  West,  and  lived  there 
several  years.  Later  he  bought  and 
settled  on  the  place  where  he  died, 
known  as  the  George  Cary  farm, 
and  raised  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, viz:  Charles,  Calvin,  Gershom, 
Malancton,  Sally,  Mary  and  Lucretia. 
Charles  married  Lois,  sister  of  Cal- 
vin Edgerton,  and  later  moved  west; 
Calvin  married  Harriet  Holcomb; 
Gershom  married  Lucy  Converse; 
Malancton  settled  in  the  west  when 
young:  Sally  married  Juvenel  Gria- 
wold  for  his  second  wife;  Mary 
never  married,  and  Lucretia,  mar- 
ried Howard  Packard. 

A  family  by  the  name  of  Converse  "^ 
came  from  Massachusetts,  but  we 
don't  know  the  year.  They  lived 
where  they  first  settled  and  he  died 
in  1849.  They  had  eight  children: 
Jane  married  Truman  Southworth; 
two  sons  John  and  Truman  lived  in 


2J^ 


HISTORY   OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


Coventry,  both  dead;  one  daughter, 
Lucy  Jane,  married  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Wood  and  lives  in  Cincinna- 
tus;  Sarah  married  Nelson  Case;  Ru- 
fus  married  Mary  Dort  of  Harpurs- 
ville;  Lucy  married  Gershon  Cary; 
Alvin  married  Phoebe  Beardsley, 
Polly  married  Dr.  Prentice,  and 
Ellen  married  James  Gillmore. 
Roxy  died  in  1855,  having  never 
married.  The  farm  is  still  in  the 
family. 

Joel  Morse  came  from  Massachu- 
setts and  settled  on  a  farm  adjoin- 
ing the  Converse  farm,  but  we  do 
not  know  the  dates.  He  as  well  as 
Mr.  Converse,  run  a  sawmill  in  con- 
nection with  his  farm.  They  had 
seven  children:  Austin,  who  mar- 
ried Basha  Ann  Vinton:  Russell, 
who  married  Lucretia  Loop;  Sally 
married  Joseph  Badger;  Marvin  mar- 
ried Melissa  Griswold,  and  Jerome 
married  Caroline  Hurd;  Juliand  died 
young;  Irene  married  later  a  man  in 
the  west  by  the  name  of  Lamb. 
Joel  Morse  married  for  his  first  wife 
Susan  Munger,  who  died  in  1851. 
He  afterwards  married  a  widow 
Treadwell,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1854  sold  his  farm  to  Jarvis  McLane 
and  with  his  son  Jerome  went  west 
and  died  there. 

William,  John,  Amos  and  Judith 
Tuckey  came  from  England  in  1830 
and  settled  in  the  town  of  Butter- 
nuts. Ten  years  later  Amos  and 
William  came  to  Coventry  and 
bought  a  farm  of  Larkin  Packard, 
next  south  of  the  Tallman  and  Con- 
verse farms.  William  married  Mary 
Ann  Converse  and  they  raised  six 
children:  Mary  Ann  married  Wil- 
liam Kasson;  Nancy  married  Marcus 
Hunter;  Olive  married  Wilson  Page; 
Rosa  married  George  Wedge;  James 
married  Julia  Garrison,  and  Jane 
never  married.     Amos  Tuckey  lived 


several  years  on  the  farm  with  his 
brother.  He  then  sold  his  interest 
to  him  and  bought  out  Augustus 
Smith,  adjoining  and  lived  there 
until  he  died  in  1884,  aged  75  years. 
He  married  Phebe  Perrine  Converse, 
and  they  raised  two  daughters: 
Frances  E.,  who  married  Ira  Fair- 
child  in  1869,  and  Euphemia,  who 
died  in  1909,  unmarried.  Phoebe 
Tuckey  died  in  1872,  aged  57  years, 
and  William  died  in  1875,  aged  69 
years. 

As  we  have  been  writing  about  the 
early  settlers,  when  they  came  to 
Coventry,  where  they  lived,  when 
and  where  they  died,  and  as  Anna 
Y.  Hungerford,  was  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  we  think  it  would  not  be 
out  of  place  to  put  in  a  poem  here 
of  her  100th  anniversary,  written  by 
Mrs.  Cordelia  Beardsley  Wilder. 
One  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  Anna 

Y.    Hunaerford,   Coventi-y. 
Turn    backward    the    years   of    time, 

dear  mother, 
And    let    the   bright   scenes   o-    fond 

memory    come. 
When  you  lovingly  watched  o'er  the 

days  of  our  childhood; 
The  days  long  ago  in  the  old  house 

at  home. 
You    may    list    once    again     for     the 

echoes,    dear   mother. 
Of  wild  rippling   laughter,  so  joyous 

and  free; 
You  may  rock  us  to  sleep,  and  then 

watch   o'er  our  slumbers. 
While    a    Father    in     Heaven     shall 

watch   over   thee. 
You   may   listen   once   more   for   the 

quick,  eager  patter 
Of  swift,  tiny  feet  on  the  old  kitchen 

floor; 
You    may   smile   at   our   loss,   as   we 

search   for  the  sunbeams. 
Darting  bright  rays  through  the  half 

open  door. 
We    will    twine   just   again    the    wild 

buds  and  sweet  daisies. 
In   your   bright,    golden    hair,    as    in 

days  that  are  flown; 
We  will  wait  for  thy  kisses  to  lavish 

each  sorrow. 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


25 


Dear  mother  we'll  sing  the  old  music, 

"Sweet  Home." 
Then    we    know    not    a    care,    not    a 

grief,   nor  a  sorrow; 
You  lavish  each  tear  with  a  mother's 

fond  kiss; 
You   guided  our  feet  in  the  way  of 

our  Saviour; 
t)ear  mother,  we'll  greet  you  in  man- 
sions of  bliss. 
Already  thy  feet  have  nigh  touched 

the  chill  waters; 
Thou    hast    trusted     in     Jesus,     thy 

crown  hath  been  won. 
Dear  mother,  v/e'll  sing  as  we  jour- 
ney together, 
The    soul-cheering    anthem,    "We're 
All  Going  Home." 
Amasa  Ives  came  to  this  town  at 
an   early   date   when    a   young   man, 
the  exact  time  is  uncertain.     He  was 
a  strong,  leading  character,  a  man  of 
thrift    and    influence.       He    married 
Patty,  daughter  of  John  and  Abigail 
Miles.      He    united    with    the   church 
in  January,  1808;  and  when  the  ed- 
ifice was  cleared  of  debt  in  1820,  he 
was   one   of   the   men   who   paid   the 
\     highest  sum,  $200.     Ozias  Yale  was 
the  other. 

Brownell  Bulkeley  emigrated  from 
Stonington,  Conn.,  to  Coventry  in 
1808.  He  bought  the  farm  where 
his  grandpon  Robert,  now  lives,  and 
built  a  log  house  which  was  his  home 
for  several  years.  He  married  Miss 
Dellia  Worth  of  Connecticut,  an  ac- 
complished and  spiritually  minded 
lady.  They  were  remarkably  cour- 
teous and  hospitable,  liberal  in  the 
support  of  the  gospel  and  widely 
respected.  Bulkeley  was  a  man  of 
marked  personalitJ^  successful  in  his 
business  and  consistent  in  his  sup- 
port of  all  that  was  good.  When  he 
vacated  the  log  house  he  built  what 
is  now  the  rear  of  the  Bulkley 
home.  They  moved  into  it  on 
Saturday  and  their  son,  George,  was 
born  there  the  next  Sabbath  morn- 
ing.       They     had     three     children: 


George,    Francis,    and    Julia.        The 
mother,    a    Christian    truly    born    of 
the  spirit,   gave  her  children  spirit- 
ual teaching  and  was  careful  of  their 
intellectual      development.        George 
went     to     Oxford     and     Catskill     to 
school;    Francis   was   a   graduate   of 
Union    College,    and    Julia    went    to 
Oxford  and  Albertsville  to  study,  and 
at  the  last  named  place  she  met  Mr. 
Converse,  who  became  her  husband. 
After   her    marriage    she    resided   at 
Elmira  and  her  two  daughters  were 
graduates  of  the  Female  college  in 
that    city.        Francis    Bulkley    went 
south,    married    Grace     Adams     and 
now     has     descendants    residing     at 
Gadsden,  S.  C.     George  Bulkley  liv- 
ed   at    the    homestead    in    Coventry 
and  the  original  house  was  enlarged 
to  its  present  dimentions.     The  par- 
ents   and    son    formed     one     family. 
Mrs.   A.   P.   Bulkeley,   the   widow   of 
George,    has    lived    63    years   in   the 
original    home    of    the    family,    and 
forty-eight    of    these    years    she    has 
been  a  Sunday  school  teacher.     Rob- 
ert S.  Bulkley,  her  son,  has  been  the 
Sunday    school    superintendent     for 
eighteen  years.    Miss  Betsey  Bulkley, 
the    sister    of    Brownell,    visited   the 
home  of  her  brother  in  Coventry  and 
she  became  the  wife  of  Philo  Yale. 
Russel   Waters  came   to   Coventry 
in   1808   when   21  years  of  age,  and 
subsequently   married   Roxy,    daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Abigail  Miles.     Eph- 
ram  Waters,  a  younger  brother,  fol- 
lowed in  1816.     He  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Charles  Thorp,  the  pastor. 
Later  he  came  in  possession  of  the 
Thorp  farm,  situated  on  the  rise  of 
ground  a  short  distance  east  of  Cov- 
entryville,   where  he  lived  for  more 
than  40  years  a  life  of  great  useful- 
ness,   influential   and   efficient   in   all 
that    pertained    to    the    development 
and    progress    of    church    and    com- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


munity. 

The  Benedicts  formed  a  numerous 
family  and  some  of  them  were  prom- 
inent  in   the  history   of  the  church. 
They  were  children  of  Captain  Ben- 
jamin   Benedict,    who   served   in   the 
Revolutionary  war  as  lieutenant.    He 
came  to  Coventry  in  1807  from  Win- 
chester,   Conn.,   and   all   the   rest   of 
that  name  came  from  the  same  place. 
Abijah  Benedict  with  his  wife,  Abi- 
gail,  removed  to   Coventry   in   1800. 
They   were   members  of  the   pioneer 
church  organized  in   1807.     He  was 
the   man   that   hewed   the   first  stick 
of  timber  for  the  new  meeting  house. 
Eliakim  Benedict  and  his  wife,  Ruth 
Ann,    settled    in    Coventry    in    1801. 
He  was  then  twenty-three  years  old. 
Ruth   Ann,   was  one  of  the  original 
members     of     the     historical     little 
church  of  1807.     Eben  Benedict,  and 
Miranda,    his    wife,    moved    to    Cov- 
entry in   1803.      He   was  the  grand- 
father  of   William    Henry    Benedict, 
the   son   of   Ira,   who   died   in   April, 
1904,  the  year  of  our  centennial.     He 
served   the  church   as  a   deacon  and 
Sunday   school    superintendent.      He 
was  also   the   minister's   friend,   one 
who  united  the  historical  past  with 
the    present.       Mrs.    William    Henry 
Benedict,   wife  of  the  above  named, 
has  been  the  poetess  of  the  church, 
is  endowed  with  a  rare  gift  of  metri- 
cal   composition.      The   authoress  of 
many  choice  productions;    many  an- 
niversary poems  of  historic  and  local 
value,    and    poems    read    at    soldiers 
graves  at  the   May   day   decorations. 
A  volume  of  her  poems  printed  a  few 
years  since  exhibits  fine  poetic  ability 
and    is    pleasantly    valued     by     her 
friends.         Mrs.     Benedict    is    living 
among  us  at  this  date,  1912,  honored 
and   beloved   by   all    who   know   her. 
She,  too  is  one  who  unites  the  pres- 
ent with  the  past. 


CHAPTER   V 

A  Continuation  of  the  Settlers  that 
Came  Later 
Reuben  Rolph  came  from  Long 
Island  in  1837  and  settled  three 
miles  south  of  Coventry,  on  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Dr.  Beardsley 
estate.  He  had  800  acres  of  land 
and  owned  a  factory  and  made 
cheese;  keeping  over  one  hundred 
cows,  and  was  very  prominent  in 
public  affairs  in  the  town.  He  was 
married  three  times.  His  first  two 
wives  were  sisters,  they  came  from 
Long  Island.  I  don't  know  their 
names.  He  had  one  son  by  his  first 
wife,  named  Moses.  His  third  wife 
was  a  Phillips  of  Coventry,  and  she 
bore  him  three  children.  In  1869 
he  sold  out  and  moved  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Virginia,  where  he  bought  sev- 
eral hundred  acres  of  land  and  farm- 
ed it  there  until  his  death. 

Erastus  Butts  came  to  this  town 
early  and  settled  on  the  Folds  farm. 
Ralph  Johnson,  one  of  the  early 
pioneers,  settled  in  the  western  part 
of  the  town.  He  had  four  boys,  all 
good  farmers  and  all  strong  sup- 
porters in  the  Second  Congregational 
church. 

John  Burge,  emigrated  to  this 
town  in  the  thirties,  and  lived  where 
Claude  Wilder  now  lives. 

Matthew  Smith,  Sr.,  came  about 
the  same  time  and  lived  a  year  or 
two  at  the  east  part,  then  moved  to 
the  village  where  he  lived  a  number 
of  years.  He  was  a  carpenter  and 
was  the  head  workman  on  the  Bap- 
tist church  here  that  they  are  now 
tearing  down.  He  helped  build  many 
of  the  houses  in  the  village.  He 
moved  to  the  Four  Corners  west  of 
Coventry,  where  Leroy  Hodge  now 
lives.  His  son,  Matthew  Smith,  Jr., 
now  lives  one  mile  west  of  Coventry 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


27 


on   the   farm    known   as   the   Joseph 
Johnson  place. 

Joseph  Johnson,  son  of  Ralph 
Johnson,  married  Hepsey  Stoddard, 
and  lived  on  this  farm  till  his  death. 
He  was  a  carpenter  as  well  as 
farmer. 

Dr.  Frisbie  and  Tracy  Allen  came 
from    Connecticut   at   an    early   date 
and  settled  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town.      Many  are  the  anecdotes  re- 
lated  about   Dr.   Frisbie.      We   can't 
write  many  but  to  do  justice  to  the 
man  we  must  relate  a  few  to  show 
his  courage  and   also  his  skill   as  a 
steel  worker.     When  it  was  danger- 
ous to  travel  the  roads  at  night  on 
account    of    wild    beasts,    some    one 
offered  to  bet  with  him  that  he  would 
not  dare  run  from  the  house  where 
T.    M.    Williams   now    lives   to    Cov- 
entryville  in  the  night.     He  took  the 
bet    and    won    in    this    way.        They 
made  some  kind  of  an  image  as  hid- 
eous as  possible,  and  placed  it  in  the 
road   about   half   way   and   then   hid 
to   see  what   he   would   do   when  he 
saw   it.      As   soon    as   he   saw   it   he 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  not 
stop    if   it   killed    him,    and    without 
slacking  his  run,  grabbed  the  object 
and  carried  it  to  the  end  of  the  race. 
Public  travel  in  those  days  was  most- 
ly  by  stage   coach.     Frisbie,   with   a 
number  of  others,   was  traveling  in 
the  southern  states  in  that  way.     As 
they  were  going  along  over  a  rough 
road    the    heavy     load     caused     the 
springs  to  break.     The  driver  stopped 
and   the  passengers  got  out.      What 
to  do  the  driver  and  the  other  pas- 
sengers  did   not  know,      Mr.   Frisbie 
asked:     "Is  there  a  blacksmith  sho> 
near."     The   driA^er  said  yes.     Then 
he   said:    "We   can    walk    there   and 
get  the  springs  mended."     The  driver 
said   the  blacksmith   could  not  weld 
them.      "Well,"   said  Frisbie,   "if  he 


can't,  I  can."  So  they  all  walked  to 
the  shop,  took  off  the  horses,  blocked 
up  the  coach,  took  out  the  springs 
and  with  help  of  the  blacksmith 
Soon  had  the  broken  spring  mended 
and  they  went  to  the  end  of  their 
journey.  The  driver  then  asked 
Frisbie  how  much  he  should  pay 
him.  He  told  him  nothing.  Where- 
upon the  driver  begged  him  to  ac- 
cept as  a  present  $10,  which  he  did. 
In  after  years  he  made  a  full  set  of 
butcher  knives  and  a  wooden  case  to 
put  them  in,  each  one  separate  so 
they  could  not  dull  and  gave  them  to 
James  S.  Parker,  who  kept  them  for 
many  years.  When  in  advanced  life, 
he  having  no  more  use  for  them,  he 
gave  them  to  his  nephew,  Burton  D. 
Jones,  who  now  has  them.  I  can 
well  remember  when  a  boy  of  his 
coming  across  by  my  father's  when 
he  went  to  Coventry,  and  most  al- 
ways stopped  to  dinner.  When  squir- 
rels were  plenty  he  always  brought 
his  gun  and  used  to  shoot  more  or 
less  of  them.  One  day  he  took 
thirteen   from   my  father's  woods. 

Thomas  and  Austin  Elliott  were 
among  the  early  settlers.  They  were 
quite  hunters,  making  a  great  deal  of 
money  from  the  bounties  that  were 
paid.  It  was  hard  getting  a  trap  in 
those  days  that  would  hold  a  panther 
or  bear,  so  they  invented  one  of  their 
own.  One  fall  when  it  got  to  be  al- 
most winter  and  there  was  not  much 
for  wild  animals  to  get,  they  had  an 
old  horse  that  they  thought  was  not 
worth  wintering  and  took  it  out 
into  the  woods  and  killed  it,  making 
a  pen  around  it,  putting  large  logs  to 
the  bottom  and  smaller  ones  as  they 
went  up,  notching  and  drawing  them 
in  as  they  went  up,  leaving  a  space 
about  six  feet  square  on  the  top  and 
about  eight  feet  high.  The  animals 
had  to  climb  up  and  down  and  once 


28 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


in  there  they  were  in  a  trap  they 
could  not  jump  out.  The  next  morn- 
ing they  would  go  and  shoot  them 
and  get  the  bounty,  thus  making  the 
old  horse  worth  more  to  them  than 
a  good  team   would  be  today. 

John  Fowler  came  in  from  Ver- 
mont in  the  early  twenties.  I  need 
not  speak  of  his  family  as  they  have 
already  been  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Adkins  family. 

Oliver  Badger  came  here  about 
1812  and  settled  where  Henry  Spen- 
cer now  lives.  I  have  no  authority 
to  say  where  he  came  from,  but  1 
presume  he  came  from  Connecticut, 
there  is  where  the  most  of  the  early 
settlers  came  from.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  the  town  and  also  in  the  M. 
E.  church,  holding  several  offices  in 
the  church.  He  had  a  large  family 
of  children,  how  many  and  what 
their  names  were  I  cannot  tell.  I 
have  heard  my  mother  say  that 
there  were  seven  that  came  to  school 
from  there  at  one  time;  seven  from 
Philo  Clemmon's  and  seven  from 
David  Hungerford's,  all  in  the  same 
district  and  all  at  the  same  time. 

Whitney  Cornish  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers,  living  in  the  hollow 
west  of  W.  H.  Spencer's.  He,  too, 
had  a  large  family.  Fred  Cornish, 
living  on  the  S.  B.  Foot  farm,  is  a 
grandson,  and  his  family  is  the  only 
descendants  in  the  town.  He  also 
supported  the  M.  E.  church. 

Let  me  say  right  here  that  there 
were  a  good  many  families  that  came 
to  this  town,  stayed  a  few  years  and 
then  moved  away,  of  whom  I  can  get 
no   record. 

A  little  later  came  Augustus  Trow- 
bridge, another  farmer  and  good 
citizen.  He  was.  a  Strong  supporter 
of  the  Second  Congregational  church, 
and  had  a  son  and  daughter. 

Wakely     Jones     was     among     the 


early  ones.  His  son  Henry  was 
known  far  and  near  as  the  best  horse 
doctor  in  this  section  of  the  State. 

Uri  Watrous,  for  many  years  a 
farmer,  was  one  of  the  prominent 
men  in  the  western  part  of  the  town; 
lived  where  Clifford  Wylie  now  lives. 
He  had  three  children:  Eugenie, 
who  married  John  Fairchild,  after- 
ward T.  D.  Parker;  Jerome,  who 
married  Eva  Baird,  and  Nettie  J., 
who  married  Clifford  Wylie. 

Of  Zera  Beardsley  no  record  haS 
been  found,  but  he  came  into  the 
town  at  an  early  date  and  settled 
about  two  miles  west  of  Coventry. 
Two  sons,  Augustus  and  Bronson, 
both  residents  of  Coventry.  The 
latter  was  killed  in  the  Civil  war. 
Josiah  Beardsley,  a  blacksmith,  lived 
one-half  mile  west  of  Coventry. 
Stelson  lived  two  miles  north  west 
of  Coventry;  had  a  son  Samuel  and 
a  daughter  Julia.  All  three  brothers 
were  noted  men  and  came  from  Con- 
necticut. 

Thaddeus  Hoyt  came  to  Coventry 
in  1836.  He  had  a  large  family. 
Two  sons  were  ministers,  Willard 
was  the  founder  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Nineveh  and  for  many 
years  its  pastor.  Ephraim  was  a 
Baptist  minister  and  lived  at  Bath, 
Steuben  county,  N.  Y.,  Matthew  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Stewart.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  James  T.,  who  died  in 
the  Civil  war;  Sarah  E.;  Edward  P.; 
Alice  C;  and  Emma  L.,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  A.  Beardsley;  one  child, 
Emma.  Susan  A.  Hoyt  died  Sept. 
20,1851.  Mary  P.,  married  Vincent 
White.  Their  children  were:  Henry 
v.;  John  S.;  Thaddeus;  William; 
Vincent  and  Mary.  The  rest  of  the 
Hoyts  lived  out  of  town. 

Samuel  Griswold  came  into  the 
town  at  an  early  date  and  settled 
one-half  mile   west  of  Coventryville 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


29 


on  the  place  which  Noyes  Griswold 
now  owns.  He  married  a  Miss 
Trumbull.  They  had  five  children: 
Electa,  who  married  Stilson  Beards- 
ley;  Juvenal,  Albert  and  Frank. 
Samuel  had  one  son,  Lucius.  Harry, 
who  married  Anadine  Gilmore  and 
had  one  son,  Noyes.  Egford,  who 
lived  a  single  life. 

Perry  Gilmore  emigrated  to  this 
town  at  an  early  date.  He  had  a 
large  family,  but  of  only  two  can  I 
get  any  track.  Anadine,  just  spoken 
of,  who  married  Harry  Griswold,  and 
Beriah,  who  married  and  had  a  fam- 
ily; one  son,  Charles,  who  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war;  a  pair  of 
twin  girls,  and  one  other  child.  He 
was  a  business  man,  holding  several 
town  offices,  also  a  worker  in  the 
Baptist  church. 

Paul  Beardsley,  in  the  south  east 
part  of  the  town,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers.  He  had  three  chil- 
dren: Seba,  Horace  and  Polly,  who 
married  David  Hunt.  Seba's  chil- 
dren were:  Sally  Ann,  a  maiden 
lady;  Juliette,  who  married  Theron 
Reed;  Sophrona,  who  married  Hi- 
ram Blakeslee;  Harriet,  David, 
George  and  Oscar,  who  was  a  Uni- 
versalist  minister.  He  settled  on  the 
place  where  Eugene  Smith  now  lives. 
Horace  settled  on  the  place  where 
Seba  Blakeslee  now  lives.  He  mar- 
ried Clarissa  Payne  and  had  no  chil- 
dren. In  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
he  lived  at  Coventry.  He  was  a 
strong  supporter  of  the  M.  E.  church, 
holding  several  offices  in  it  and  left 
a  dowry  for  its  use. 

Enoch  Carrington  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers.  He  located  about  one 
mile  south  of  Coventry  on  what  was 
part  of  James  Whitlock's  farm.  He 
afterwards  moved  to  the  south  east 
part  of  the  town,  where  his  chil- 
dren  lived   and    died    when   well   ad- 


vanced in  years. 

Nelson  Wright  came  from  Oxford 
about  1869  and  settled  in  the  south 
east  part  of  the  town.  He  had  two 
daughters:  Mary,  who  married  Ed- 
win Nickerson,  July  23,  1879,  and 
Martha,  who  married  Lewis  Poot. 

Christopher  Rogers  had  a  number 
of  children.  They  all  lived  in  town 
until  maturity.  His  son,  Alphonzo 
E.  Rogers,  lived  and  died  in  this 
town.  He  had  four  children:  One 
married  Chester  L  .Jones;  another 
married  Henry  D.  Brigham;  J.  E. 
and  Charles  Rogers  are  now  living, 
the  latter  has  been  supervisor,  and 
also  held  other  town  offices.  He  had 
two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

John  Niven  came  into  the  town 
later  and  settled  three  miles  south 
east  of  Coventry.  They  had  four 
children.  His  wife  was  a  Converse. 
Their  daughter,  Mary  Ann,  married 
a  Williams;  Matilda,  married  Ira 
Nobles;  Daniel  married  Roza  Hodgfe. 
They  had  a  daughter  who  married 
Harvey  Smith  of  Doraville,  N.  Y., 
now  deceased,  but  she  is  still  living. 
A  son,  Charles,  now  deceased,  who 
lived  in  Binghamton.  John  Niven, 
Jr.,  married  Emily  Tyler,  they  had 
two  children:  George,  now  deceased, 
a  farmer,  and  Ella  Niven  Truesdell. 

Harvey  Tyler  came  here  in  1816 
and  settled  where  Mrs.  A.  Manwar- 
ren  now  lives.  He  married  Eunice 
Briggs.  He  came  from  Connecticut 
and  had  nine  girls:  Nancy,  married 
a  Badger;  Harriet,  died  young;  Em- 
ily married  John  Niven;  Susan  mar- 
ried Henry  Plum  of  Connecticut; 
Eunice,  married  A.  Hardy  of  Wis- 
consin;     ,   married   M.  T.   Hoyt; 

Antha,  married  L.  Manwarren;  Mary, 
married  C.  Rogers;  Helen,  died  at 
4  years  of  age. 

HiraiiT    Parker's    Family 

Betsey  Ann  Parker,  born  Sept.  17, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


1826;  Susan  Parker,  born  Dec.  3. 
1829;  Eunice  Parker,  born  Feb.  7, 
1832;  Timothy  D.  Parker,  born  June 
1,  1834;  Abijah  T.  Parker,  born 
Aug.  20,  1841.  Betsey  Ann  married 
Thomas  Tift  and  now  lives  in  Cov- 
entry. Mr.  Tift  is  dead.  Eunice 
married  Samuel  Watrous,  lived  in 
Colesville,  Broome  county;  Susan 
married  Frank  Williams;  Abijah 
married  Catherine  Wheeler,  lived  in 
Kansas;  Timothy  D.,  married  Ade- 
laide Smith,  afterwards  Eugenie 
Watrous  Fairchild.  Hiram  Parker's 
grandchildren:  Thomas  Tift's  chil- 
dren, Emogene,  Frank,  George  and 
Addie.  William's  family:  one  son, 
died  in  infancy:  one  adopted  son. 
Samuel  Watrous  had  one  daughter, 
Libbie;  Timothy  D's.,  children:  Ad- 
die by  his  first  wife;  Lena,  who  died 
when  4  years  old;  Ray,  Ruth  and 
Bessie  by  his  second  wife.  Abijah's 
children:  Lottie,  Catherine  and 
Earl,  who  died  at  12  years. 

As  early  as  1838,  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Anthony  Cole  owned  the 
farm  adjoining  the  David  Hunger- 
ford  farm,  and  died  there.  After- 
wards the  family  sold  the  place  to 
Bela  Hungerford  who  kept  it  till 
18  4  5,  when  he  sold  it  to  Oris  Tubbs 
and  moved  west.  Three  years  later 
Tubbs  sold  it  to  Western  Holcomb, 
who  worked  it  for  seven  years  and 
ran  a  coopershop  in  connection  with 
the  farm.  In  1855  he  sold  it  to 
Noah  Fowler  and  moved  to  Greene. 
Since  then  Henry  Juliand  bought  it 
of  Fowler,  who  for  many  years  rent- 
ed it  to  Mr.  Whitten,  who  with  his 
wife  has  passed  away.  Their  son, 
Colonel  R.,  and  daughter,  Phoebe, 
now  live  in  Greene.  Phoebe  is  teach- 
ing school.  Her  brother  Frank  is  an 
architect.  He  had  the  overseeing  of 
the  building  of  the  stone  Episcopal 
church   in  Greene,  and  the   14-story 


Press  building  in  Binghamton. 
Early   Incidents 

In  the  days  of  the  very  early  set- 
tlers when  fierce  wild  animals  and 
wilder  red  men  roamed  the  forest 
day  and  night  around  the  log  houses 
of  the  early  white  inhabitants,  it  was 
necessary  for  them  to  build  yards  for 
their  horses,  oxen,  cows,  calves, 
sheep  and  pigs,  when  they  were  so 
fortunate  as  to  own  them.  They 
w^ere  usually  built  in  this  way,  by 
log  fence,  something  like  a  rail  fence, 
the  large  logs  at  the  bottom  then 
smaller  and  smaller  until  they  reach- 
ed the  top,  perhaps  eight  feet  high. 
Then  if  they  left  it  in  that  way  it 
was  not  safe  so  they  would  add 
sharp  pointed  pickets  made  of  small 
round  poles  near  each  other  fastened 
to  the  side  of  the  fence  or  driven 
into  auger  holes  on  the  top  log,  ex- 
tending up  two  feet  or  more.  The 
wolves  and  wild  animals  would  look 
a  long  time  before  trying  to  jump 
over  such  a  picket  fence.  Such  is 
the  protection  they  had  to  give  their 
stock  at  night  until  they  could  do 
better.  Even  then  they  would  lose 
some,  for  they  had  to  let  them  out 
days  to  get  food  for  themselves. 
Those  that  had  bells  for  their  cows 
and  sheep  could  usually  find  them 
and  drive  them  home  for  safety. 
Living  here  then  brought  a  large 
amount  of  hard  work  and  much  earn- 
est care  and  considerable  fear  for 
those  early  settlers,  who  came  to 
establish  homes  in  the  wild  woods 
for  themselves  and  their  children. 
Before  they  could  raise  stock  for 
market  they  had  to  trust  to  their 
eye,  their  hand  and  their  flint  lock 
rifles  to  furnish  them  their  supply, 
which  was  not  easily  produced.  Mr. 
Manning  was  one  of  the  hunters. 
During  the  years  he  passed  here, 
besides    all    other    wild    animals    he 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


31 


shot,     he    brought    down     with     his 
rifle  ninety-nine  deer,  afterwards  he 
threw    a    stone    with    his    hand    and 
killed  another,  making  an  even  hun- 
dred.     Record    Wilber   was   another 
hunter.     He  sometimes  left  his  wife 
alone  in  their  home  in  the  morning 
to  go  in  search  for  deer  and  would 
wander  so  far  that  when  night  came 
on  he  could  not  return.     On  one  of 
these    hunts    he    found    himself    five 
miles  from  home  and  very  tired,  so 
he  ate  what  he  had  for  supper,  sat 
down   with   his   back   against  a   tree 
and  with  his  rifle  across  his  lap  slept 
soundly  during  the  night.     When  he 
awoke   in   the   morning  and   opened 
his  eyes  the  first  thing  he  saw  stand- 
ing  near  and  looking  sharp  at  him 
was  what  he  had  sought  for  in  vain 
the  day  before,  a  deer.     As  he  looked 
at  the  deer  he  thought  to  himself  if 
I  only  had  my  rifle  I  could  kill  him. 
By    an    involuntary    motion     of     his 
hand  he  touched  it.     The  deer  also 
saw  his  motion,  and  before  he  could 
raise  the  rifle  and  flre  it  was  out  of 
sight,    so   he    lost    him.      Being    very 
courageous  he  never  let  a  chance  go 
by  to  kill  any  wild  beast  that  came 
in  his  way.     He  did  not  keep  an  ac- 
count of  the  number  of  wild  beasts 
which  he  had  killed,  but  he  took  the 
skin    from    43    bears    which    he    had 
brought  down.     If  they  had  wanted 
to   they   could   have   dressed  in   furs 
every  winter.      Some  of  the  settlers 
did   use   deerskins   for   clothing   and 
the  Indians  dressed  in  them.     There 
was    an    Indian    settlement    on    the 
creek  near  the  west  side  of  Mr.  Wil- 
ber's  farm.     The  Indians  often  came 
to  his  house  to  borrow  things,  most- 
ly his  rifle  and  butcher  knives.     He 
and    his    wife    did    not    like   to    lend 
them,  but  did  sometimes  rather  than 
make   them   angry,    for   they   were   a 
wild  set  of  red  men  hardly  safe  at 


best  to  live  among.  The  creek  was 
well  filled  with  trout  and  red  and 
white  men  took  them  when  they 
pleased,  providing  they  were  able  to 
catch  them.  Mr.  Wilber  cleared  up 
his  farm,  built  a  good  frame  house 
and  barn,  owned  considerable  stock, 
was  a  good  liver,  and  although  he 
worked  hard  had  enjoyed  good 
health  and  lived  within  a  few  months 
of  100  years  of  age. 

Philo  Clemmens  came  in  at  an 
early  date  and  settled  in  the  hollow 
east  of  Henry  Spencer's.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Wylie,  who  was  drown- 
ed when  a  young  man  while  going 
down  the  river  with  a  raft;  Deborah, 
who  married  Joseph  Badger.  Their 
children  were  Sarah  Ann,  Chester, 
James,  Lucinda  and  Mary.  Lucinda 
married  Silas  Gould  and  had  one 
child,  John  Wylie;  Jane  married 
Rosell  Salisbury;  children:  George, 
Sarah,  Julia  and  Harry;  Maria, 
married  Hale  Salisbury;  children: 
Warren,  Wylie  and  Janett;  Polly, 
married  Richard  Hinckley;  children: 
Sarah,  Watrous,  Eugenie  and  Betsey, 
who  married  Uri  Watrous.  Children: 
Eugenie,  Jerome,  and  Nettie;  Eliza 
married  Youngs. 

Porter 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Marcus 
Porter,  an  early  settler,  lived  one 
mile  west  of  Coventry,  where  Mr. 
Grover  now  lives.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  get  a  history  of  the  family. 
I  think  they  came  from  Connecticut. 
They  were  members  of  the  Second 
Congregational  church.  I  think  they 
had  no  children  and  that  he  was  a 
farmer  and  was  well  to  do.  They 
both  died  in  a  few  days  of  each 
other  in  1872. 

The  Foot   Family 

Joseph  Foot,  an  old  Revolutionary 
soldier,   came  in   soon   after  his  son 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


Apollos,  who  came  about  1788.  He 
settled  on  the  farm  where  Edgar 
Waters  now  ilves  and  had  three 
sons  and  three  daughters.  He  was  a 
man  who  accumulated  a  large  fort- 
une and  at  one  time  he  owned  about 
seven  hundred  acres  of  land.  He 
and  his  sons  were  business  men  well 
known  in  Coventry,  and  strong  pil- 
lars in  the  M.  E.  church.  Joseph 
Foot  was  over  one  hundred  years  old 
when  he  died.  His  children  were: 
Apollos,  Alanson,  and  Lodema. 
Apollos,  married  Amelia  Nicholson 
and  his  children  were:  George  who 
married  Sarah  Wells.  His  children 
were:  Leroy,  Elizabeth,  Amelia, 
Monroe,  Lillian,  Anna,  Apollos; 
Isaac  married  and  had  no  children; 
Theresa  married  Delen  C.  Winston. 
Their  children  were:  Denison,  who 
married  Nancy  Eliott;  Adelbert  and 
Marion;  Jennie,  married  Stephen 
Kind,  afterwards  Layer  Chatman; 
Jenette,  married  John  S.  Barnes; 
children:  Charles,  Emma,  Frank 
and  Theresa.  She  afterwards  mar- 
ried Reuben  Palmer.  Harriet,  who 
married  Madison  King.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Arthur  and  Mable. 
Frederick,  married  Mary  Hidgin. 
Children:  Prank,  Harry,  Hattie, 
Leon  and  Croy.  Floyd  died  young. 
Legrand's  children:  Emma  and 
Walter.  Rosa,  married  William 
Marble.  Children:  Eugenie,  Floyd, 
Charles,  Ely,  Nellie,  Frederick, 
Archie.  Melissa  married  Albert. 
Griswold,  and  had  one  son,  Albert. 
Afterwards  married  Charles  Hinman. 
Children:  Balis,  Henry,  Charles, 
Ida.  Milicent,  married  Ransom 
Wright.  Children:  Apollos,  Mary, 
Jane,  Josephine.  T.  B.  Foot  mar- 
ried Henrietta  Hinckley.  Children: 
Sumner,  Deforest,  Clarence  and 
Blanch,  Ezra  Foot  married  Harriet 
Cohoon.      Children:      Nellie,    Hattie, 


Raymond,  Minnie.  Alanson  Foot, 
brother  to  Apollos,  married  Theresa 
Hinman.  Children:  Joseph,  Oscar, 
Melvin,  Marietta.  Melvin  married 
Emma  Griswold.  Marietta  married 
William  Conover.  Lodema  Foot 
died  young.  Eliza  Foot,  sister  of 
Apollos,  married  Charles  Martin, 
and  had  one  son,  Charles. 
The  Porter  Family 
Sanuiel  Porter  came  from  Connec- 
ticut in  the  year  1808,  with  two 
yoke  of  oxen  and  a  pair  of  horses. 
His  wife's  name  was  Cibil  Munson. 
Their      children       were:  Sterihon, 

Obadiah,  Azubak,  Marshal,  Samuel, 
Munson,  Sheldon,  Loren  B.  and 
Leonard.  Sheldon  married  Parmelia 
Balis.  His  children  were:  William, 
Leonard,  Rebecca,  Samuel  and 
Stephen.  Leonard  married  Martha 
Buckley.  His  children  were:  Jane, 
Emily,  Samuel,  George,  Dolly,  Lu- 
cious    who    died    young,    and    Julia. 

Loren    B.,    married   Beardsley. 

His  children  were:  Eliza,  Charles, 
Lucy,  Sarah  and  Edward.  The  Por- 
ters settled  on  the  place  where  Fred 
Porter  now  lives.  The  old  barn  a 
little  north  of  Fred's  house  was  built 
in  18  09,  the  same  sidings  are  on  it 
that  were  first  put  on,  rough  pine 
boards  103  years  ago  and  are  in  a 
fair  way  to  last  another  century. 
The  barn  was  never  painted.  Oh, 
for  more  of  the  old  hill  pine,  we 
would  not  have  to  shingle  our  houses 
so  often.  The  Porters  were  all  or 
nearly  all  farmers  and  mechanics. 
At  one  time  they  run  a  chair  factory. 
The  house  that  Edward  lives  in 
stood  across  the  creek  and  was  built 
for  a  factory.  Sheldon  moved  to  the 
south-eastern  part  of  the  town;  lived 
and  died  there.  Leonard  lived  and 
died  on  the  old  homestead  for  many 
years.  He  moved  to  Iowa  in  1857. 
Lorin  lived  and   died   where  his  son 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


3B 


Edward  now  lives. 

Spencer  Family 

William  Spencer  came  to  this  town 
about  1797  and  settled  where  Prank 
Manning  now  lives.  He  had  three 
sons  and  one  daughter:  Dorcas,  who 
married  Leonard  Parker  and  had 
two  sons,  Prank  and  Richard,  and 
one  daughter.  Zeba  Spencer  mar- 
^  ried  Polly  Blakesley,  died  and  had 
no  children.  She  afterwards  mar- 
ried Moses  Allis.  Phineas  S.,  mar- 
ried and  had  a  large  family.  Wil- 
liam Spencer,  Jr.,  married  Polly 
Butts  and  lived  where  his  son  Henry 
now  lives.  His  children  were:  Bet- 
sey, who  married  Thomas  Terry  who 
run  a  woolen  mill  at  Bettsburgh. 
Morgan,  married  Catherine  Van 
Valkenburgh,  and  had  four  boys. 
Sarah,  married  Robert  Odell,  and 
had  three  children.  Nelson  H.,  mar- 
ried Hannah  Pratt,  four  sons  and 
one  daughter  were  the  result  of  their 
marriage.  Byron  married  Josephine 
Jones.  Pranklin  married  A.  Anna 
Paddleford  and  had  three  boys  and 
two  girls.  W.  H.  Spencer,  married 
Mary  E.  Salisbury  and  had  one  son 
and  two  daughters.  He  had  been 
quite  a  prominent  man  in  town  af- 
fairs and  also  in  the  M.  E.  church. 
Seba  Spencer,  kept  a  hotel  here  and 
I  think  built  the  one  that  stands 
now.  Phineas  was  a  farmer.  One 
day  while  chopping  wood  he  felled  a 
tree  across  a  log  and  his  little  child, 
unbeknown  to  him,  had  come  out 
and  stood  on  the  other  side  of  the 
log.  When  the  tree  fell  the  top 
whipped  over  the  log  and  killed  the 
child,  and  he  did  not  know  it  till  he 
trimmed  out  the  tree  and  saw  her 
lying  there. 

Badger  Family 

Oliver  Badger  came  in  here  quite 
early,    the    exact    date    is    unknown. 


He  married  Lucretia  Butts.  Chil- 
dren: two  boys,  William  and  Orin 
and  a  daughter,  Elizabeth.  Debe- 
dire  Eliza  Butts  married  a  Mr. 
Leach,  had  one  daughter  who  mar- 
ried a  man  by  the  name  of  Birdsall, 
a  Baptist  minister,  and  moved  to 
Ohio. 

Jonathan  At  water,  early  settler, 
lived  just  west  of  W.  H.  Spencer's, 
and  had  one  son,  Gerrett,  who  lived 
here  several  years  and  had  a  large 
family. 

The  Root  family  lived  where  Ed- 
gar Waters  lives  and  one  son  became 
editor  of  a  paper  in  Kansas. 

Joseph  Ackley,  an  early  settler, 
had  a  family.  One  grandson, 
Charles  Ackley,  now  living  in  town 
near  the  old  homestead. 

Elisha  Porter  Family 

Elisha  Porter,  an  early  settler, 
came  from  Connecticut  and  settled 
three  miles  south  west  from  Cov- 
entry where  Charles  Ackley  now 
lives.  He  had  seven  children:  Wil- 
liam, Joseph,  Phineas,  Norman,  Per- 
melia,  Julia  and  Almira.  Permelia 
married  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Hatch;  Julia  married  George  Edger- 
ton. 

Cornish  Family 

Whiting  Cornish  married  Temper- 
ance Wylie,  an  early  settler  about 
four  miles  south  west  of  Coventry, 
date  uncertain.  Their  children 
were:  John,  Maria,  Lavonia,  Tem- 
perence,  George,  Elizabeth,  Whiting, 
Augustus,  Sarah,  Isabel  and  Jane. 
John  married  Romania  Mandevllle; 
Maria  married  Augustus  Trowbridge, 
Lavonia  married  first  a  Moore  and 
second  a  Weston  Holcomb;  Temper- 
ance married  Ezra  Conant;  George 
married  widow  Emeline  Treadway 
Blakesley;  Elizabeth  married  H.  H.  ^ 
Cook    of    Oxford,    Whiting    Augustus 


SM 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


married  Mary  Mallory;  Sarah  never 
married;  Isabell  married  Rev.  Lewis 
Hartsough,  a  Methodist  minister, 
and  is  the  last  of  the  family;  Jane 
married  Dr.  Harvey  Beardsley. 

Srott    Family 

Victor  Scott  came  in  quite  early, 
settled  about  two  miles  south  of  Cov- 
entryville.  He  married  Roxanna  Lora. 
Their  children  were:  Lucretia, 
George,  Cordelia,  Walter,  Samuel, 
Melvin,  Olive.  Lucretia  married  Mil- 
ton Dickerson,  George  never  mar- 
ried and  died  young.  Cordelia  mar- 
ried Frank  Salisbury;  Samuel  was 
married  twice;  Walter  married  Rox- 
anna Newton;  Melvin  never  married; 
Olive   married   Silas   Beigh. 

Elliott  Family 
Joseph  Elliott  and  four  sons,  Abi- 
sha,  Joab,  Thomas  and  Adon,  all 
grown  up,  came  in  here  from  Deer- 
field,  Mass.,  in  1803  and  settled  in 
the  south  west  part  of  the  town. 
I  cannot  get  a  full  history  of  them 
but  what  I  have  I  will  give.  Joab 
Elliott  married  Nancy  Hendric,  of 
Massachusetts.  Their       children: 

Araasa,  Eldredge,  Cyrus,  Edgecomb, 
Stephen,  Andrew,  Harry,  Franklin 
and  Nancy.  Eldred  married  Man- 
dame  Belden;  Cyrus  married  Annia 
Beldin:  Edgecomb  married  Sarah 
Spauldin;  Stephen  died  young.  An- 
drew married  Jane  Leach;  Henry 
married  a  Miss  Clearweather; 
Franklin  never  married;  Nancy 
married  Edwin  Elliott;  Joab,  Jr., 
married  Parmelia  Mead.  Children: 
Nancy,  married  Simeon  Burrows  and 
had  two  daughters;  Sally,  married 
David  Kinsman  and  had  two  sons, 
Austin  and  Bliss,  and  one  daughter, 
Augusta;  Polly  married  Alanson 
Smith.  Children:  Buushabay,  Fred- 
erick, Myron,  Polly,  and  three  died 
young:      Franklin      married      Nancy 


Hinckley.  Two  children:  Naomi 
and  Franklin;  Joseph,  married  Hel- 
en Wylie.  Children:  James,  Dud- 
ley, Hial,  Lucy  and  Mary;  Betsey 
married  Joshua  Harrington.  Chil- 
dren: Isabell,  Francis,  Wesley  and 
Neg;  John  Elliott  married  Betsey 
Gould.  Their  children  were:  Jane, 
Nancy,  Lenora,  Kindric,  Oliver  and 
Hial;  Jane  married  Chil- 
dren: Alice,  Eugenie,  Bela,  Nancy, 
married  and  had  no  children;  Leona, 
married  and  had  one  child;  Kindric 
and  Oliver  never  married;  Hial  mar- 
ried and  had  one  son.  Abisha  El- 
liott's children:  Marilla,  Jerry  and 
Abisha. 

An  incident  is  related  of  Franklin 
Elliott,  when  a  boy  his  father  sent 
him  to  Haynes'  mill  on  horseback 
with  a  grist  to  be  ground.  It  was 
late  when  the  grist  was  ready  for 
him  and  it  got  dark.  He  had  to  go 
through  a  piece  of  woods  and  the 
wolves  got  after  him;  the  horse 
snorted  and  run  and  he  had  to  get 
his  feet  up  on  the  grist  to  keep  the 
wolves  from  getting  him.  When  he 
got  most  home  he  came  into  the 
clearing  and  the  wolves  left  him. 

As  we  have  been  writing  about  so 
many  of  the  old  settlers  that  have 
gone  through  the  valley  on  to  the 
beyond,  we  think  it  would  be  ap- 
propriate to  put  in  a  poem,  written 
by  Mrs.  Cordelia  Wilder,  one  of  Cov- 
entry's poets: 

Shall    We   Know   Each   Other   There 

When  earth's  fondest  ties  are  riven 
And  we've  crossed  the  swelling  tide, 
Shall  we  know  our  loved  and  loving 
Over  on  the  other  side? 
Shall  we  know  the  shouts  of  welcome 
From  the  loving  ones  that  wait? 
Shall    we    know     them     as     they're 

watching, 
Waiting  at  the  golden  gate? 

Little   feet  that  here  have  pattered, 
Making  music  all  the  day: 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


35 


Little    voices    wild    with    laughter, 
Driving  busy  care  away; 
Little  hands  that  gathered  flowers- 
Twined  them  gaily  in  our  hair, 
Little  lips  that  kissed  us  softly, 
Shall  we  know  them  "over  there?" 

Shall  we  know  the  tender  mother, 
Though  we  kiss  her  pale  and  cold, 
Though  her  hair  was  streaked  with 

silver, 
There  'tis  tinged  with  Heaven's  gold. 
Yes!  We'll  know  the  sainted  mother 
When  we  clasp  her  hand  again, 
When  she  strikes  one  cord  of  music 
We  shall  catch  the  old  refrain. 

We     shall      know     earth's     dearest 

treasures; 
Tread  the  golden  streets  with  them. 
We  shall  join  the  Heavenly  chorus, 
Chanting  there  one  great  amen. 
We  shall  wear  bright  crowns  in  glory 
If  our  crosses  here  we  bear. 
We  shall  know  our  King  our  Saviour, 
And  our  loved  ones  "over  there." 

Since  writing  about  the  old  plank 
road  that  the  Porters'  built  one- 
half  mile  for  nothing,  I  have  been 
informed  that  they  furnished  the 
plank  and  built  the  half  mile  for 
$300. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Rollin 
Sweet  came  in  from  Connecticut. 
dnte  unknown,  but  it  must  have  been 
ery  early,  for  he  had  to  cut  his  own 
'-'■ad  part  of  the  way  from  Bain- 
bridge.  He  had  a  large  family,  and 
settled  about  two  miles  east  of  Cov- 
entryville.  One  grandson,  William 
Sweet,  is  now  living  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town. 

The  Packard  Family 

Anson  Packard  came  here  about 
1800  and  settled  one  mile  west  of 
Coventry,  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Matthew  Smith.  Their  children 
were:  Sally,  who  married  Caleb 
Merrill  and  their  children  were: 
Oliver,  Nathaniel,  George,  Ira,  Fred- 
erick, Ransom,  Thomas,  Julia,  and 
Mary.  Sulvia,  married  Samuel  Ors- 
born:    their  children   were:      Allana, 


Louis,  Emily,  Sarah,  Ira  and  Benja- 
min. Larkin  married  Amanda  At- 
water;  their  children  were:  Adney, 
Harriet,  Ira,  Sylvester,  Eliza  Ann, 
Charles,  Chester,  Lydia,  Callista, 
Anson  Packard's  children  were: 
George,  Stephen,  Almira,  Ann  and 
Mary.  Howard  Packard  married 
Lucretia  Cary,  and  their  children 
were:  Lewis,  Henry,  Calvin  and 
Sarah.  Lida  married  Lewis  Bene- 
dict, they  lived  in  the  west.  Mercy 
married  Eris  Hotchkiss.  Their  chil- 
dren: Josephine,  Lewis  and  Prank. 
Hannah,  married  Adolphus  Stiles. 
Their  children  were:  Emiline, 
Mercy,  Larkin,  Jane,  Elizabeth  and 
Laura.  Laura  Stiles  married  John 
Kelley  of  Coventry.  One  son,  Frank, 
who  married  Addie  Tifft,  and  one 
daughter,  Laura,  who  married  Fred- 
eric  Porter   of   Coventry 

1815  To  Mr.   Charles  Pearsall    1895 

We   come   on    this    day    so    fair   and 

bright. 
Our  hearts  transfused   with  its  rays 

of  light, 
Till    the    inner   depths   most   warmly 

glow. 
And  with  kindest  greetings  o'erflow. 

In  winter  time  when  winds  are  high. 
And  snow  and  sleet  go  whirling  by. 
We    sit    and    dream    of   the   brighter 

days 
Of  summer   time,    with   their   golden 

rays. 

Or  autumn's  harvest  born  of  bloom. 
And   long   to    flee   from    the   season's 

gloom; 
But   we   know   that   time   will   surely 

bring 
From  under  the  snow  the  flowers  of 

spring. 
So   the  years  go   passing  swiftly  by. 
Awhile    with    sunshine    or    clouded 

sky. 
And  we  often  turn  to  the  happy  past, 
Davs    of    childhood    that    could    not 

last! 

Let  us  look  today,  there's  a  picture 
bright 


S6 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


Of    the    old    red   house,    now    still    in 

sight; 
We  see  again  each  pleasant  nook, 
List    to    the    sound    of   the    babbling 

brook, — 
As   its   ripples   break   o'er   our   small 

bare    feet. 
And  eyes  in  sparkling  glances  meet, 
Or  sit  upon  its  pebbly  shore, 
Watching  our  ship  sail   swiftly  o'er. 

Proud  ships  borne  from  the  old  saw- 
mill. 

Bark  and  sawdust  we  see  them  still; 

And  the  gristmills  wheel  with  merry 
sound 

Ever  going  its  ceaseless  round. 

We  know  where  once  the  mill- 
troughs  lay,— 

But  all,  like  childhood,  has  gone 
away. 

For  a  moment  we'll  enter  the  open 
door, 

Where  ever  a  welcome  is  in  store. 

Cheerful    faces  within   appear; 
Ripples  of  laughter  greet  the  ear; 
While   a    strong    man   tosses   a    blue 

eyed  boy, 
And  a  dark-eyed  girl  fills  the  cup  of 

joy. 

Friend    of    my    childhood,    friend    of 

my  years! 
There  are  changes  we  see  through  a 

mist  of  tears, 
No  longer  we  linger  but  turn  away, 
Let  joy  rule  the  hours  of  the  present 

day. 

Why    are    such     numbers     gathered 

here, 
With     smiling     faces     and     friendly 

cheer? 
Ah:    the    day    will,    as    the    birthday 

chime 
Rings  out  for  one  just  in  his  prime. 

Eighty  years  with  their  joy  and  pain; 
Eighty    years     with     their    toil     and 

gain; 
Ceaseless  strivings  and  victory   won. 
To  be  crowned  at  last  with  the  glad 
"well  done." 

Guarded  still  \vith  the  watchful  care. 
Of  those  who  your  joys  and  sorrows 

share. 
Many  or  few  as  the  years  may   roll, 
May    you    sing    "there's   sunshine   in 

my    soul." 


There's  a  happy  bond  on  the  unseeu 

shore, 
To   welcome  you   when  earth's  work 

is  o'er; 
Lovingly   will    they    watch   and   wait 
Till  you  pass  to  them  through  life's 

sunset    gate. 

James  Wylie,  Sr.,  came  in  from 
Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1799, 
settled  on  what  is  now  part  of  Guy 
Wylie's  farm  on  the  west  side  of  the 
creek,  between  the  creek  and  where 
Guy's  house  now  stands.  He  built 
the  first  Wylie  house.  James  Wylie, 
Jr.,  came  in  with  his  father,  a  man 
of  a  family,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters.  Daniel  married  a  Miss 
Edgerton;  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Betsey  married  William 
Thomas;  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. James,  the  third,  married 
Sally  Fairchild;  five  sons  and  one 
daughter.  Temperence,  married 
Whiting  Cornish;  two  sons  and  six 
daughters.  Maria  married  a  Mande- 
ville;  one  son  and  one  daughter. 
Polly  married  a  Burton;  two  sons 
and  two  daughters  John  married 
Estey  Inckley;  three  sons,  Floyd, 
Burton  and  James,  the  fourth.  James 
Wylie,  the  third,  his  family:  Thomas 
Wylie,  born  Dec.  27,  1815.  Russel 
D.  Wylie,  born  Dec.  27,  1817.  J. 
Hoel  Wylie,  born  April  8,  1820; 
George  Wylie,  born  April  10,  1822; 
Hannah  Wylie,  born  Nov.  17,  1825, 
and  died  Oct.  7,  1845;  Hubbard  H. 
Wylie,  born  Dec.  6,  1827;  Joseph 
Wylie,  born  Sept  9,  1833,  and  died 
Dec.  9,  1845.  James  Wylie,  the 
third,  died  Apr.  9,  1854,  aged  68 
years.  Sally,  his  wife,  died  May  11, 
1864,  aged  74  years..  Hubbard  H. 
Wylie  married  Sabra  Brown.  They 
had  one  child,  Jessie  S.,  born  Oct. 
10,  1S67;  died  in  Feb,  1886,  aged  19 
years.  Hubbard  H.,  died  Jan.  16, 
1910,  aged  8  2  years.  Thomas,  died 
March    31,   1898.   aged    83   years.      J. 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


U7 


Hoel  died  June  1,  1889,  aged  69 
years.  Russel,  died  June  25,  1896, 
aged  79  years.  George  died  July  19, 
1900,  aged  78  years.  I  think  one 
son  of  James  Wylie,  Jr.,  named  Sam- 
uel has  been  left  out.  He  was  the 
father  of  John  and  Hawley  and  sev- 
eral other  children.  It  has  been 
hard  work  for  the  writer  to  get  any 
history  of  the  Wylie  family,  he  work- 
ed hard  and  long,  traveled  about 
twenty-five  miles,  before  he  could 
get  any  information,  but  at  last, 
many  thanks  are  due  Burton  Wylie 
and  Mrs.  Hubbard  Wylie  for  all  the 
information  I  have  got  has  come 
from  them. 

A  family  by  the  name  of  Wood- 
ward, settled  in  the  south  east  part 
of  the  town  at  an  early  date,  his  first 
name  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn. 
If  I  have  been  informed  right  he 
was  the  father  of  Darius,  Heman  and 
Yale  Woodward.  They  were  quite 
prominent  in  that  part  of  the  town. 
There  are  several  grandchildren  in 
town  and  some  out  of  town.  One 
granddaughter,  Mrs.  Charles  Bush, 
lives  near  Nineveh.  Edward  Wood- 
ward of  Coventry  is  a  grandson,  and 
Mrs.  Henry  Merell  in  the  south  east 
is  a  granddaughter,  and  I  think  there 
are  several  others  that  I  do  not  call 
to  mind. 

Stephen  Fletcher,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Susan  A.  Sherwood  Fletcher, 
was  born  at  White  Plains,  West- 
chester, county,  N.  Y.,  April  12, 
1846.  About  the  year  1850  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Guilford,  N.  Y.  He 
ettended  school  at  East  Guilford,  and 
by  diligence  and  hard  work  acquired 
an  education  so  that  he  had  taught 
school  several  terms.  After  which 
he  learned  the  wagon  maker's  trade, 
but  his  health  would  not  permit  him 
to  be  shut  in  doors,  and  he  had  to 
give    up    wagon    making.      He    next 


took  up  farming  and  followed  it 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
May  15,  1908.  On  Nov.  5,  1873,  he 
was  united  in  the  bonds  of  holy 
wedlock  with  Miss  Jennie  E.  Beale  of 
East  Guilford.  He  farmed  it  in  Guil- 
ford and  Butternuts  till  1886,  when 
he  removed  to  Coventry  and  lived 
here  and  farmed  it  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  In  1870  he  united  with  the 
M.  E.  church  at  Rockdale  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  members,  being 
superintendent  a  good  share  of  the 
time;  always  taking  part  in  the 
choir,  and  for  a  good  many  years  in 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  was  chor- 
ister. He  was  quite  prominent  in 
settling  estates  and  drawing  and 
proving  wills.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican  until  the  Prohibition 
party  came  up,  after  which  he  voted 
the  Prohibition  ticket. 

CHAPTER    VI 
Early  Schools 

The  first  school  house  in  the  town 
was  a  log  structure  located  about 
ten  rods  north  of  the  Frank  Pear- 
sail  blacksmith  shop.  Sherman 
Page  the  first  teacher,  then  a  young 
single  man,  was  a  resident  of  Una- 
dilla  and  afterwards  became  some- 
what distinguished  as  a  lawyer  and 
legislator. 

Among  the  first  school  girls  were 
Roxy  Miles,  Patty  Miles,  Hannah 
Yale  and  Sally  Miles,  who  after- 
wards became  the  wives  of  Russell 
Waters,  Amasa  Ives,  Seth   Beckwith 

and  Jones.     Mrs.  Waters  died 

April  10,  1875,  aged  85  years;  her 
husband  May  11,  1835,  aged  48 
years.  Mrs.  Ives  died  March  16, 
185  8,  aged  84  years,  and  her  hus- 
band Oct.  6,  1823,  aged  60  years. 
The  first  school  taught  is  believed 
to  be  as  early  as  1790.  After  a  few 
years  another  school  house  was  built 


38 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


in  what  was  called  the  Warren  dis- 
trict. It  stood  between  the  lands 
once  occupied  by  Erastus  and  Joel 
Judd  families,  known  as  the  Benedict 
farm,  and  was  afterwards  removed 
to  where  Elam  Barstow  lived,  where 
it  remained  until  after  that  district 
was  united  with  the  Coventryville 
district. 

Town    Officers 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held 
in  the  school  house  near  Burrige 
Miles',  Coventryville,  on  Tuesday, 
March,  4,  1806,  and  the  following 
named   officers   were   elected: 

Supervisor — John  Mandeville. 

Clerk — Roswell   Marshall. 

Assessors — Jothan  Parker,  Moses 
AUis,  Abijah,  Benedict. 

Collector — Daniel    Wylie. 

Overseerers  of  the  Poor — Ozias 
^  Yale,   Simeon  Jones. 

Commissioners  of  Highways — 
John  Stoddard,  Samuel  Martin,  Na- 
thaniel Manwarring. 

Constables — Daniel  Wylie,  Jabez 
Manwarring. 

Fence  Viewers — Benjamin  Jones, 
Record    Wilber,    Luther   Holcomb. 

Pound  Keepers — Benjamin  Bur- 
nett, Nathaniel  Manwarring. 

Overseer  of  Highways — George 
LoWTey,  Joel  Goodenough,  Peter 
Bowen,  John  Stoddard,  Simon  Jones, 
Benjamin  Jones,  Wm.  M.  Thomas, 
Nathaniel   Manning,    Henry  Allen. 

Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures — 
Oliver  Parker. 

The  following  town  officers  were 
elected    in    February,    1880: 

Supervisor — James   M.   Phillips. 

Town  Clerk — J.  D.  Guy. 

Justice — J.  S.  Parker. 

Commissioner  of  Highways — D.  B. 
Easton. 

Overseer  of  the  Poor— Miles  Hart- 
well. 

Constables — Frank  Pierce,  Nelson 


Cohoon,  Charles  Laman. 

Inspectors  of  Election — District 
No.  1,  Lucius  Manwarring,  H.  C.  In- 
gersoll,  H.  Willoughby;  district  No. 
2,  to  be  appointed. 

Town  Auditors — Romeo  Warren, 
C.  D.  Newton,  John  Wylie. 

Excise  Commissioner — Henry  An- 
drews. 

Coventry    Villaj;e 

Coventry  is  pleasantly  situated  a 
little  north  west  of  the  center  of  the 
town,  about  seven  miles  east  of 
Greene,  and  nine  miles  west  of  Bain- 
bridge.  At  present  it  is  connected 
with  Greene  by  daily  stage.  It  con- 
tains two  churches.  Congregational 
and  Methodist.  The  Baptist  church 
has  been  sold  and  has  been  taken 
down.  A  district  school,  a  hotel,  the 
first  in  the  village  was  built  by 
Henry  Allen  shortly  before  1812  and 
is  now  vacant;  one  general  store, 
two  grocery  stores,  a  blacksmith 
shop  owned  and  run  by  George  End- 
ter;  a  wagon  shop  run  by  Eugene 
Mallory;  a  large  creamery  owned 
and  run  by  the  Dairy  Product  Co.; 
a  shingle  factory  owned  and  run  by 
Oral  Dalton;  two  good  carpenters, 
George  Hamilton  and  Alva  Dalton. 
The  village  has  a  population  of 
about  100. 

Merchants 

The  first  merchants  in  Coventry 
were:  Henry  Allen,  Samuel  Scott, 
Benjamin  Jones  and  Zenas  Hutchin- 
son, who  kept  store  in  part  of  Henry 
Allen's  hotel,  commencing  in  Oct. 
1810.  Dr.  Diodate  Cushman  opened 
a  store  in  1818  or  '19  and  continued 
as  late  as  1827,  about  which  time  he 
left  the  town.  George  Ryder  was 
associated  with  him  about  a  year. 
William  Church  whose  father,  Jo- 
siah  Church,  from  Vermont,  was  an 
early  settler  in  Church  Hollow, 
which    place   derives   its   name   from 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


89 


him;      commenced     business     about 
1830   in  company  with   David  Ever- 
ett,   who    sold    out    soon    after,    the 
latter   of   whom    died   Feb.    5,    1832, 
aged  33  years.     About  this  time  the 
business  was   discontinued.      Church 
returned     to     Church     Hollow     and 
opened  a  store  there.     Chandler,  re- 
sumed business  about  1834,  with  G. 
D.   Phillips,   to   whom  after  about  a 
year  he  sold  his  interest.     Mr.  Phil- 
lips  came   from   Greeneville,   Greene 
county,  and  settled  three  miles  south 
west  of  Coventry  on  what  is  known 
as    the    John    Beal    farm,    where    he 
engaged  in   farming,   wagon  making 
and    running    a    foundry,    which    he 
continued  until  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile  business   when   he   moved   to 
the  village,   where  he  died  Dec.   18, 
1872,  aged  82  years.     His  wife  lived 
and  died  in  Coventry  at  an  advanced 
age.     From  1840  to  1858  he  was  as- 
sociated  in   the   mercantile   business 
with  his  sons,  Edgar  A.,  and  James 
M.  Phillips,  under  the  firm  name  of 
G.    D.    Phillips    &    Sons.      Amasa    J. 
Hoyt  became  a  partner  in  1851,  and 
Frederick  LeRoy  Martin  in  1858,  in 
which   year   the   name   was   changed 
to   Phillips,   Hoyt   &  Martin.      James 
M.  Phillips  withdrew  in  1852,  and  F. 
L.   Martin  in   1860,  after  which  the 
business   was   conducted   by   Phillips 
&  Hoyt,  until  the  death  of  the  for- 
mer when  it  was  carried  on  by  Hoyt 
for  a  time,  then  by  Hoyt  &  Kelley, 
and  now  is  being  conducted  by  Kel- 
ley &  Son  who  keep  a  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise. 

Romeo  Warren,  William  Church 
and  Edwin  Burge  bought  out  Dr. 
Cushman.  After  about  a  year  Rufus 
Chandler,  bought  out  Burges'  inter- 
est. The  business  was  continued  for 
about  two  years,  when  Chandler  & 
Warren  sold  out  to  Church,  who 
continued   trading   some   four   years. 


The  grocery  business  was  first  con- 
ducted in  the  early  sixties,  by  Alvin 
Converse  who  conducted  it  a  few 
years  and  sold  out  to  James  Shouls, 
who  continued  the  business  a  year  or 
two.  Then  M.  D.  French  used  the 
store  for  a  cabinet  shop  for  a  while. 
J.  S.  Parker  and  son  commenced 
business  in  February,  1877,  and  con- 
tinued it  some  eight  or  ten  years. 
H.  L.  Tower  for  three  or  four  years 
and  George  Lewis  some  five  years  or 
more.  About  nine  years  ago  A.  P. 
Stanton  came  there  and  is  now  doing 
a  good  business.  He  also  has  the 
telephone  central  in  his  store. 

Postmasters 

The  first  postmaster  in  Coventry 
was  Dr.  Tracy  Southworth,  who  was 
appointed  about  1833,  and  held  the 
office  a  number  of  years.  G.  D. 
Phillips  next  held  the  office  five  or 
six  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  Edgar  A.,  who  held  it  some 
four  years.  George  Cornish  next  held 
the  office  about  two  years,  till  his 
removal  to  Bainbridge.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  William  Church,  who  was 
postmaster  till  about  1860,  when  his 
son  Charles  was  appointed  and  kept 
it  until  June,  1861,  when  Amasa  J. 
Hoyt  was  appointed.  Hoyt  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mary  A.  Kales,  Dec.  10, 
1877.  H.  L.  Tower  then  took  it  for 
a  few  years;  then  by  F.  A.  Kelley, 
where  it  still  remains. 

Physicians 

The  first  physician  was  Diodate 
Cushman,  who  commenced  practic- 
ing in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town 
as  early  as  1813.  He  afterwards 
located  in  Coventry  and  practiced 
there  until  within  a  few  years  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  about  1838, 
while  on  his  way  to  New  York  with 
a  drove  of  cattle.  He  was  also  en- 
gaged   in    mercantile    business    here 


JfO 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


and  also  at  Chenango  Forks.  The 
next  physician  was  Tracy  South- 
worth,  who  came  from  New  Berlin 
during  the  latter  part  of  Cushman's 
practice  as  early  as  1827,  and  prac- 
tced  here  for  some  ten  years.  Alfred 
Griffin  came  in  about  1830,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Ashabel  Wilmont,  who 
removed  in  18  43  to  the  western  part 
of  the  State.  George  Sturges  came 
from  Coventryville  in  1843,  and 
practiced  a  year  or  two.  S.  B.  Pren- 
tis  practiced  here  some  two  years 
about  1845-6,  and  at  a  meeting  of 
the  County  Medical  Society,  June 
6,  1846,  was  made  the  subject  of 
commendatory  resolutions  by  reason 
of  his  contemplated  removal.  He 
went  to  Kansas  having  sold  his  prac- 
tice here  to  Wm.  H.  Beardsley  of 
Butternuts,  who  practiced  here  till 
1869,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm 
three  miles  south  of  Coventry  where 
he  practiced  till  his  death.  R.  Otto- 
man came  from  Pennsylvania  in 
1845,  but  remained  only  about  a 
year.  Dr.  Prindle  came  here  about 
1850,  and  practiced  some  fifteen 
years.  Dr.  Frank  Beardsley  came 
here  while  a  young  man  and  studied 
with  his  uncle,  Dr.  William  Beards- 
ley, and  became  a  prominent  physi- 
cian, a  great  lecturer  on  anatomy; 
spending  many  years  lecturing.  He 
also  became  a  great  eye  doctor.  He 
went  to  Binghamton.  and  I  think 
from  there  to  New  Haven,   Conn. 

James  D.  Guy  was  born  in  Oxford, 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  23,  1840,  and  studied 
medicine  at  Harpursville,  Broome 
county,  with  his  uncle.  Dr.  Ezekiel 
Guy,  and  at  Nineveh  in  the  same 
county  with  another  uncle.  Dr.  Tim- 
othy Guy.  He  entered  Geneva  Med- 
ical College  in  the  fall  of  1866,  and 
was  graduated  Jan  21,  1868,  in 
which  year  he  began  to  practice  in 
Harpursville.     He  removed  thence  to 


Coventry  November  28,  1869,  when 
he  practiced  for  about  twenty-five 
years  selling  out  to  Dr.  A.  A.  Guy,  a 
cousin,  who  stayed  here  about  two 
years. 

Dr.  R.  Lee  Dodge  came  next  and 
stayed  about  five  years.  Then  Dr. 
Evans  was  here  four  or  five  years, 
and  at  present  we  are  without  a 
doctor.  There  is  a  good  chance  for 
some  young  man  to  locate  here. 

Dr.  Jesse  E.  Bartoo  was  born  in 
Jasper,  Steuben  county,  Feb.  2  8, 
1847.  He  studied  medicine  in  Dans- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  with  Dr.  Preston  and 
with  Dr.  R.  P.  Crandall  in  Greene. 
He  entered  the  Electic  Medical  col- 
lege at  Cincinnatti  in  the  fall  of  1875 
and  graduated  May  19,  1876.  He 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  Greene  that  year  and  continued 
until  the  spring  of  1879,  when  he 
removed  to  Coventry.  He  practiced 
here  for  a  few  years  and  then  re- 
turned to  Greene,  where  he  is  now 
living. 

Churches 

The  Second  Congregational  So- 
ciety of  Coventry  was  organized 
December  9,  1822,  at  a  meeting  held 
in  the  school  house  near  Plaig 
Nichols',  in  said  town,  which  was 
attended  by  David  Beebe,  Samuel 
Porter,  Oliver  Trumbull,  John  Minor, 
Parson  Beecher  and  many  other  in- 
habitants of  the  town  of  Coventry. 
Samuel  Martin  was  chosen  modera- 
tor and  William  A.  Martin  clerk. 
Parson  Beecher,  Timothy  B.  Bidwell 
and  Samuel  Porter  were  elected 
trustees.  The  following  named  per- 
sons were  members  to  January  5, 
1824:  Samuel  Martin,  David  Beebe, 
Ralph  Johnson,  Oliver  Packard,  Sam- 
uel Bronson,  Philo  Scott,  Artemaa 
Goodno,  Paul  Beardsley,  Gideon  B. 
Minor,  Samuel  Porter,  Calvin  Thair, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


4I 


Mark  Scott,  Juna  Humiston,  Ira  S. 
Beardsley,  John  B.  Hodge,  Lemuel 
Beardsley,  Jabez  Manwarren,  George 
L.  Rider,  Timothy  B.  Bidwell,  Gil- 
bert D.  Phillips,  Sheldon  Porter, 
Diodate  Cushman,  Anson  Packard, 
Justice  Dayton,  Reuben  J.  Warner, 
James  Smile,  David  Lowry,  Parson 
Beecher,  Enoch  Johnson,  Oliver 
Trumbull,  John  Niven,  Daniel  Rigby, 
Chauncey  Smith,  Abel  M.  Beardsley, 
Elisha  Porter,  Case  Larkin,  D.  Pack- 
ard, Jonathan  Atwater,  Nathaniel 
Blakeslee,  Elnathan  Beebe,  Henry 
Chandler,  Reuben  Cary,  Luther 
Stork,  Joel  Smith,  Rufus  Chandler, 
Loren  B.  Porter,  William  A.  Martin, 
David  Chandler,  Jeriah  Seymour, 
Zebah  W.   Matson. 

At  its  organization  the  society 
consisted  of  twenty-seven  members 
who  withdrew  from  the  First  Con- 
gregational church  of  Coventry  for 
that  purpose.  In  the  early  part  of 
1824  they  commenced  building  their 
church  edifice,  which  was  finished 
during  the  year  and  dedicated  in  the 
early  part  of  1825.  In  1849  the 
original  building  being  found  too 
small  for  the  accomodation  of  the 
society  it  was  decided  to  enlarge 
and  repair  it,  which  was  done  at  a 
cost  of  $1,000.  The  church  proper 
connected  with  this  society  was  or- 
ganized June  21,  1845,  as  the  Second 
Congregational  church  of  Coventry. 
The  original  number  was  fourteen, 
viz:  Calvin  Thayer,  Curtis  Stod- 
dard, William  A.  Martin,  David  Bee- 
be,  Samuel  Porter,  Lucy  Porter. 
Phebe  Martin,  Sally  Beardsley, 
Phebe  Case,  Margaret  Beecher,  Ar- 
zubak  Trumbull,  Esther  Scott  and 
Patty  Porter,  all  of  whom  were  mem- 
bers of  the  First  church.  There  has 
been  but  few  changes  in  the  minis- 
try. The  church  had  but  two  settled 
pastors  in   the  early  days  of  its  ex- 


istence. The  first  of  these  was  Rev. 
Ira  Smith,  and  the  second  Rev.  Asa 
Donaldson,  but  they  served  for  only 
brief  seasons,  the  church  depending 
mostly  on  supplies.  The  first  stated 
supply  was  Rev.  Seth  Burt,  who 
labored  successfully  while  the  church 
manifested  a  steady  increase  for  the 
space  of  three  years.  In  1829  Rev. 
John  B.  Hoyt  became  the  stated 
supply,  dividing  his  labors  between 
this  church  and  the  First  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Greene.  He  was 
installed  pastor  of  this  church  June 
19,1833,  and  sustained  that  relation 
for  thirty  years.  In  1860,  owing  to 
feeble  health,  Isaiah  B.  Hopwood, 
then  a  licentiate  of  Auburn  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  was  invited  to 
labor  with  Rev.  Hoyt  a  stated  sup- 
ply during  his  summer  vacation  of 
that  year.  In  the  early  part  of  1861, 
Mr.  Hopwood  having  finished  his 
theological  studies  was  invited  to 
become  the  pastor  of  the  church  to 
which  he  assented,  but  his  accept- 
ance was  afterwards  modified  by 
making  the  condition  that  of  his  be- 
ing associated  with  Mr.  Hoyt  in  the 
pastorate.  This  being  agreeable  he 
was  ordained  and  installed  July  15, 
1861. 

March  20,  1861,  the  church  re- 
solved to  raise  $250  for  the  support 
of  Mr.  Hoyt  as  long  as  he  remained 
with  them.  His  long  and  happy  pas- 
torate closed  by  death  July  4,  1862, 
at  the  age  of  68  years.  Mr.  Hop- 
wood  closed  his  pastorial  labors  in 
January,  1863,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  W.  A.  Smith  of  Maine,  who 
commenced  his  labors  August  1, 
1863,  and  continued  them  until  Jan- 
uary 9,  1865. 

Rev.  A.  J.  Buell  sustained  the 
pastorial  relations  from  February  27, 
1865,  to  January  6,  1869.  A  call 
was  extended  to  Rev.  Amos  Crocker. 


U2 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


who  entered  upon  a  pastorate  which 
continued  until  January  29,  1878. 
He  was  followed  in  January  1879  by 
Rev.  Dr.  William  B.  Stewart.  Rev. 
George  M.  Jones  succeeded  him  for 
nine  years.  Rev.  J.  B.  Mariam  came 
next  for  five  years.  Then  came  Rev. 
Mr.  Macbeth  for  four  years  who  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Mr.  Williams  for 
three  years.  Rev.  Mr.  Cody  came 
next  for  a  year  or  two.  May  1908, 
Rev.  S.  R.  Warrender,  the  present 
occupant   came. 

In  1831  and  '32  the  church  was 
visited  by  a  most  fruitful  revival, 
110  persons  were  received  into  the 
church  on  profession  of  their  faith. 
Several  marked  seasons  of  revival 
occurred  during  the  pastorate  of  Mr. 
Hoyt.  In  1834  and  '35,  1840,  1843, 
1846,  1851,  and  lastly  the  winter  of 
1855,  '56,  as  the  fruit  of  which  340 
were  received  on  profession  of  faith. 
Following  is  a  summary  of  its  mem- 
bership up  to  November  1,  1861, 
when  its  membership  was  205: 
Original    members  14 

Received    on    profession      383 
Received   by   letter  123 


Total 

520 

Dismissed 

195 

Deceased 

75 

Suspended 

34 

Withdrawn 

8 

Excommunicated 

3 

Total 

315 

Number  of  members 

205 

The  membership  in  June  1879  was 
184.  The  average  attendance  at 
Sabbath   school     about   80. 

The  Coventry  Baptist  Church 

The  first  meetings  by  the  members 
of  this  denomination  was  held  in 
1814,  and  the  first  organization  was 
perfected  the  same  year.     It  compos- 


ed mainly  the  members  of  twelve 
families  who  were  formerly  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Congregational 
church  of  Coventry,  but  believed  in 
immersion.  As  the  early  records  of 
the  church  were  lost  in  the  fire, 
which  destroyed  their  house  of  wor- 
ship in  1843,  the  number  of  original 
members  cannot  now  be  ascertained, 
but  prominent  among  them  the  fol- 
lowing are  recalled:  Oliver  Parker, 
William  Spencer,  Percy  Gilmore, 
Phineas  Nichols,  Levi  Parker,  Oman 
Gilmore,  David  Hodge  and  Record 
Wilbur. 

The  society  connected  with  this 
church  was  organized  September  27, 
1819,  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  school 
house  near  Weat  Spear's,  which  was 
attended  by  Levi  Parker,  Oliver 
Parker,  William  Spencer,  Percy  Gil- 
more, William  Stork  and  many 
other  inhabitants  of  the  town. 
Percy  Gilmore  was  chosen  moderator 
and  Phineas  Nichols,  clerk.  The 
Baptist  society  in  the  town  of  Cov- 
entry was  adopted  as  the  name  and 
Levi  Parker,  Oman  Gilmore  and 
Percy  Gilmore  were  elected  trustees. 
The  first  church  edifice  was  built  in 
1819,  and  was  destroyed  by  fire  on 
the  morning  of  January  1,  1843. 
The  present  one  was  soon  after 
built. 

The  first  ministers  were  two 
brothers  named  Holcomb,  who  were 
succeeded  in  the  order  named:  Revs. 
Gray,  Sawyer,  Kellogg,  Tucker,  Rob- 
inson, Birdsall,  Parker,  Litchfield, 
Bush,  Church,  Porter,  M.  M.  Everett, 
N.  R.  Everett,  Merrils,  Turnbull. 
Beebe,  E.  T.  Jacobs;  1880,  Rev.  Dan- 
iel Reese;  1884,  L.  J.  Douglass,  sup- 
plied; 1886,  Rev.  T.  A.  Matterson; 
1890,  Rev.  George  Bowler,  ordained 
in  October,  1893;  Rev.  C.  F.  Benja- 
min; 1896,  Rev.  J.  H.  Watrous; 
1898,     G.     A.     Starkweather;     1899, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


45 


Rev.  Darby,  supplied.  For  the  last 
fifty  years  the  church  has  suffered 
largely  from  a  loss  in  the  member- 
ship by  the  removal  of  many  of  its 
prominent  members  from  its  borders 
and  who  have  gone  to  help  swell  the 
membership  of  churches  in  the  far 
west  and  elsewhere.  The  member- 
ship was  34  in  1880,  the  attendance 
at  Sabbath  school  45. 

The  church  has  ordained  and  call- 
ed to  the  ministry:  Aaron  Parker, 
Daniel  Root,  F.  M.  Beebe  and  N.  R. 
Everett.  The  latter  became  pastor 
of  a  prominent  Baptist  church  at 
Sing  Sing  N.  Y.  The  church  was 
sold   and   taken   down   in    1911. 


Methodi.st  Episcopal  Church 

The  first  organization  of  the  Meth- 
odist society  in  Coventry  dates  back 
to  April  20,  1819,  in  which  year  a 
meeting  was  held  in  the  school  house 
in  district  No.  6,  at  which  meeting 
Michael  Elder  and  B.  Young,  preach- 
ers, both  of  the  regular  ministers  of 
said  society,  were  chosen  to  preside, 
and  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
society  in  Coventry  called  Union  was 
formed.  Philo  demons,  Ransom 
Adkins,  Samuel  I.  Thomas,  Whiting 
Cornish,  Apollos  Foote  and  William 
M.   Thomas  were  elected  trustees. 

The  West  Coventry  society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  formed 
in  1829,  seems  to  have  been  a  re- 
organization of  the  above  society.  It 
was  organized  at  the  same  place,  and 
if  we  substitute  the  name  of  Apollos 
Tuttle  for  that  of  Ransom  Adkins, 
the  official  board  was  the  same.  A 
house  of  worship  was  erected  in 
1830,  three  miles  south  west  of  Cov- 
entry and  occupied  a  good  many 
years.     It  has  been  taken  down  and 


I  think  it  was  moved  to  Belden. 

The  center  of  Methodism  in  Cov- 
entry is  now  in  Coventry  village.  The 
Coventry  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
of  Coventry  village  was  organized  as 
a  separate  station  in  1849  and  their 
house  of  worship  was  built  in  1853. 
The  following  named  pastors  have 
officiated  here  since  1849:  E.  D. 
Thurston,   L.   D.   Brigham,   who   died 

shortly     after     coming    here;     • 

Nickerson,  Hiram  Gee,  who  was  here 
in  1853  during  the  building  of  the 
church  which  he  labored  to  consu- 
mate;  W.  M.  Spickerman,  Wesley 
Peck,  1854;  M.  S.  Wells,  1855-6; 
E.  H.  Orwin,  1857;  S.  G.  Greene. 
1858;  T.  M.  Williams,  1859-60;  E. 
Puffer.  1861-3;  L.  Bowdish,  1864-5; 
H.  R.  Northrop,  1866-7;  D.  Bullock, 
1868-70;  David  Davis,  1871-2; 
George  E.  Hathaway,  1873;  A.  T. 
Roskelley.  1874-5;  L.  A.  Wiles,  1876- 
7;  William  Burnside,  1878-9;  A.  E. 
Loomis,  1880;  S.  Stephens,  1881-2; 
J.  T.  Wells,  1883-4;  S.  H.  Wood, 
1885-7;  A.  E.  Thurston,  1888-92; 
L.  D.  Palmer,  1893-4;  D.  L.  Meeker, 
1895-6;  J.  G.  Henry,  1897;  W.  H. 
Horton,  1898-1900;  D.  Sweatland, 
1891-4;  Austin  Mooney,  supply  for 
September  and  October;  then  D.  F. 
Unangst,  supply  for  five  months; 
Charles  C.  Volz,  1905;  J.  B.  Wilson, 
1906-7.  A.  W.  Cooper  supplied 
three  Sundays  in  June;  G.  Cook  sup- 
plied July  and  August;  George  P. 
Markham  finished  the  year.  A  Sum- 
merson,  the  present  pastor,  com- 
menced his  labors  in  the  spring  of 
1909. 

The  membership  reported  in  the 
pring  of  1879  was  82,  the  attendance 
at  Sunday  school  was  ten  teachers 
and  75  scholars.  The  estimated 
value  of  church  property  is,  church 
$2,000,  parsonage  $1,000.       ,/ "f,,J:'' 


Uh 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


CHAPTER   Vn 
Coventryville  and  Sundries 

Coventryville  is  situated  about 
two  miles  east  of  Coventry  and  is 
the  end  of  the  stage  route  from 
Greene.  It  contains  one  church, 
Congregational,  a  district  school,  one 
hotel  kept  by  Luman  Miles,  built  by 
his  great  grandfather,  Burrige  Miles, 
in  1811;  one  store  kept  by  William 
Laraan;  and  a  population  of  about 
25. 

Merchants 

The  first  merchants  at  Coventry- 
ville is  supposed  to  have  been  Otis 
Loveland,  who  traded  some  three  or 
four  years  from  about  1801.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Russell  Waters, 
who  traded  until  1816,  when  he 
moved  to  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Frank  Pearsall.  About  1818,  Levi 
Parker  built  a  store  on  the  site  of  the 
residence  of  George  Minor,  which  is 
believed  to  have  been  first  occupied 
by  Thomas  W.  Watkins,  wiiose  fath- 
er-in-law, Burrige  Miles,  leased  the 
land  on  which  it  stood,  the  condition 
of  the  lease  being  that  it  should  be 
occupied  as  a  store  and  nothing  else 
"as  long  as  grass  grows  and  water 
runs."  A  part  of  Minor's  residence 
is  still  fitted  up  for  a  store  to  com- 
ply with  the  requirements  of  the 
lease  although  it  is  not  used  for 
such.  Watkins  traded  but  a  few 
years.  John  Reed  and  Charles  G. 
Osborn,  traded  in  the  same  place 
under  the  name  of  Reed  &  Osborn 
until  about  1855.  George  Minor 
kept  a  small  store  on  the  same 
ground  about  two  years,  when  Ben- 
jamin Slater  from  Norwich  rented 
and  kept  it  two  years.  In  the  mean- 
time he  built  the  store  now  occupied 
by  William  Laman,  which  he  occu- 
pied until  1856,  when  he  sold  to 
Calvin    Franklin    and    Peleg   Pendle- 


ton, who  traded  about  three  or  four 
years  and  moved  to  Greene.  Harris 
Briggs  and  Rufus  Cornwell  bought 
out  Franklin  &  Pendleton,  and  trad- 
ed some  two  years,  when  Cornwell 
bought  out  Briggs'  interest.  In  the 
spring  of  1867  Cornwell  sold  to  W. 
H.  Ireland,  who  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness for  a  number  of  years,  having 
been  associated  about  one  and  one- 
half  years  with  his  cousin,  Oliver 
Ireland,  and  afterwards  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Thomas  Greene. 
Then  Charles  Turner  one  and  a  half 
years;  E.  M.  Nolton  two  years; 
George  R.  Johnson  one  year,  and 
William  Laman,  the  present  store 
keeper  22  years.  The  last  four  mer- 
chants held  the  postoflfice  at  the  same 
time. 

Postmasters 

The  first  postoffice  at  Coventry- 
ville is  believed  to  have  been  estab- 
lished in  1807  and  kept  by  Jotham 
Parker,  about  half  a  mile  south  of 
the  village,  where  he  also  kept  a 
small  store.  Just  when  the  office 
was  moved  to  the  village  and  who 
kept  it  there,  whether  Thomas  W. 
Watkins  or  Russell  Waters,  who  are 
believed  to  have  followed  in  suc- 
cession is  uncertain.  Waters,  it  is 
supposed,  held  it  until  1816,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Edward 
Cornell,  who  held  it  until  his  death, 
July  19,  1849.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Leonard  R.  Foot,  who  held  it 
about  four  years.  Foot  was  followed 
by  C.  G.  Waters  who  held  it  until 
about  1857,  when  Peleg  Pendleton 
was  appointed.  Pendleton  was  suc- 
ceeded about  1861  by  Rufus 
Cornell,  who  held  it  until  the  spring 
of  1867,  when  William  H.  Ireland 
was   appointed. 

I*hysicians 

The  first  physician  of  whom  we 
have  any  authentic  information  was 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


45 


Ashel  Wilmont  who  moved  to  Cov- 
entry in  the  spring  of  1835.  Ed- 
ward Cornell,  whose  father  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  in  Guilford,  was 
practicing  here  in  1827,  and  continu- 
ed until  his  death,  July  19,  1849,  at 
the  age  of  56  years.  Tracy  S.  Cone 
came  to  Coventryville  about  1850, 
practiced  about  twelve  years  and 
moved  to  South  Oxford.  Charles  G. 
Roberts  located  there  a  few  years 
after  Cone  left  and  practiced  until 
the  death  of  his  father,  Dr.  George 
W.  Roberts  in  Greene,  Feb.  10,  1870, 
when  he  moved  there  and  took  his 
place.  Dwight  E.  Cone,  a  nephew  of 
Tracy  S.  Cone,  went  there  about 
1875  and  practiced  some  two  years, 
and  is  now  located  at  Fall  River, 
Mass.  Dr.  Bartlett  practiced  there 
a   fevv^  years   in   the   early  seventies. 

Churches 

The  First  Congregational  church 
of  Coventry  at  Coventryville  was  or- 
ganized November  19,  1807,  by 
David  narrower  of  Sidney,  with  the 
following  members:  Noah  Richards, 
Stephen  Do^dge,  Benjamin  Benedict, 
Abijah  Benedict,  Benjamin  Hotch- 
kiss,  Sarah,  wife  of  John  Stoddard; 
Anna,  wife  of  Eliakim  Benedict; 
Abigail,  wife  of  Abijah  Benedict; 
Lois,  wife  of  Stephen  Dodge;  Beulah, 
Wife  of  John  Hoskin;  Isabelle,  wife 
of  Noah  Richards;  Roxalina,  wife  of 
'Daniel  Brown;  Hannah,  wife  of  Ozias 
Yale,  and  Penelope,  wife  of  Henry 
Chandler.  For  several  years  prev- 
ious to  the  organization  of  the  church 
public  worship  was  maintained  in 
private  houses,  although  there  was 
not  a  man  in  the  settlement  who  was 
a  professor  of  religion.  The  wives 
of  these  New  England  pioneers,  im- 
pelled by  the  early  training  received 
in  their  eastern  homes  and  a  desire 
to    perpetuate    the    sacred    office    in 


their  new  abodes,  incited  meetings 
on  the  Sabbath.  The  services  con- 
sisted at  first  of  reading,  singing 
and  praying,  and  were  conducted  by 
a  man  who  was  deemed  most  cap- 
able, although  he  "was  not  pious." 
The  number  who  attended  was  not 
large  at  first  but  they  attended  reg- 
ularly, although  they  lived  at  re- 
mote distances  from  each  other. 
They  struggled  in  poverty  and  in 
the  midst  of  the  trials  and  incidents 
to  a  new  country  their  dependance 
for  a  year  or  two  for  a  leader  being 
on  one  man  of  poor  health  and  one 
very  aged  man,  holding  their  meet- 
ings after  a  time  in  the  school  house. 
But  their  number  gradually  increas- 
ed with  new  accessions  to  the  settle- 
ments, which  brought  an  addition  to 
their  leaders  in  the  person  of  an  aged 
man  who  came  five  miles  on  horse- 
back and  assisted  them  when  he 
could.  The  reading  of  printed  ser- 
mons was  soon  added  to  the  services. 
Their  meetings  continued  several 
years  when  an  old  preacher,  named 
Camp,  joined  them  and  preached 
part  of  a  year.  He  was  followed  by 
a  gentleman  from  England,  styling 
himself  a  Presbyterian  or  Congre- 
gationalist,  who  preached  here  a 
year  or  two  and  left  in  1807.  A 
sufficient  number,  either  professors 
or  those  interested  in  devotional 
exercises,  had  settled  in  the  locality 
to  warrant  the  formation  of  a  so- 
ciety, and  articles  of  faith  and  cov- 
enant were  adopted  by  each  of  the 
fourteen  previously  named,  except 
Stephen  Dodge  and  Beulah  Hoskin, 
who  dissented  from  the  articles  re- 
specting the  dedication  of  children 
in  baptism.  Numerous  additions 
were  made  to  the  membership  by 
baptism  and  otherwise  during  the 
early  years  of  its  organization. 
Twenty-four     joined     the     following 


46 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


year  and  in  1823  the  membership 
had  increased  to  116.  September  1, 
1808  Christopher  S.  M.  Stork  and 
Noah  Richards  were  chosen  deacons. 
The  society  connected  with  this 
church  was  organized  at  the  school 
house  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
town  at  a  meeting  over  which  Ben- 
'  jamin  Jones  and  Ozias  Yale  presided, 
Feb.  7,  1804.  Jothan  Parker,  James 
Wylie,  Jr..  and  Christopher  S.  M. 
Stork  were  elected  trustees.  The 
name  adopted  was  the  First  Con- 
gregational Society  in  Greene,  of 
which  this  town  then  formed  a  part. 
September  14,  1819,  the  name  was 
changed  to  First  Congregational  So- 
ciety of  the  Tow^n  of  Coventry.  At 
this  time  Rev.  Horatio  T.  McGeorge 
was  the  pastor.  He  was  dismissed 
March  16,  1807.  February  24,  1808, 
a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Joseph 
Wood  to  preach  the  gospel  in  this 
place.  It  is  presumed  that  the  call 
was  accepted  for  on  September  6, 
1808,  it  was  recorded  that  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  church.  In 
the  fall  of  1811,  Charles  W.  Thorp 
of  Butternuts,  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry,  engaged  to  preach  for  a 
short  time  in  this  place,  and  on  Janu- 
ary 13,  1812,  the  church  voted  to 
call  him  to  the  pastorate.  He  was 
ordained  July  8,  1812.  Revs.  David 
narrower,  Joel  T.  Benedict,  Joel  and 
Henry  Chafin,  being  the  officiating 
clergymen.  Mr.  Thorp's  pastorate 
was  closed  June  10,  1823.  He  was 
followed  after  an  interval  of  two 
years,  which  was  filled  by  occasional 
supplies,  by  Rev.  Anbrose  Eggleston, 
who  commenced  his  labor  in  May, 
1825.  June  11,  1827,  Mr.  Eggles- 
ton received  a  call  to  the  pastorate, 
and  was  ordained  June  21  of  that 
year.  He  continued  his  labors  as 
pastor  three  years.  During  his  pas- 
toratorate    several    members    of    the 


church  withdrew  to  form  and  unite 
with  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  of  Coventry.  In  1830,  Rev. 
N.  Gould  labored  with  them  part  of 
a  year,  and  Rev.  Oliver  Hill  part  of 
the  year  1831  as  stated  supply. 
Rev.  Daniel  Butts  commenced  his 
labors  in  1833  and  closed  them  the 
third  Sunday  in  June,  1835.  In 
183  6  Rev.  Elisha  Whitney  was  sent 
by  the  Home  Missionary  society,  to 
whom  application  was  made  for  aid 
February  ,8,  1836.  He  remained 
one  year.  Rev.  T.  A.  Ewen  com- 
menced his  labors  May  15,  1836,  and 
closed  them  in  May,  1841.  He  was 
succeeded  in  the  fall  of  1841,  by 
Rev.  Chrispus  White,  who  was  in- 
stalled pastor  May  11,  1842,  and 
dismissed  April  1,  1851.  Rev.  G.  M. 
Smith  entered  upon  a  one  or  two 
years'  pastorate  Sept.  1,  1851.  He 
was  succeeded  after  an  interval  of 
about  two  years  by  Rev.  William  H. 
Lockard  who  served  four  and  one- 
half  years.  After  an  interval  of 
one  year  Rev.  Isaac  D.  Cornell  be- 
came the  pastor  and  remained  seven 
years,  until  1865.  An  interval  of 
about  one  year  elapsed  when  Rev. 
S.  S.  Goodman  began  his  labors  and 
continued  them  one  and  one-half 
years.  After  an  interval  of  six 
months  Rev.  George  D.  Horton  began 
an  eight  years'  pastorate.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Henry  C.  Cronin, 
who  commenced  his  labors  in  De- 
cember, 1878.  In  May,  1881,  Rev. 
Warren  came,  for  two  years.  Rev. 
Austin  Caldwell,  three  years.  1890, 
Rev.  John  F.  Geddes,  one  and  one- 
half  years;  1893  to  '96,  Rev.  Joel  F. 
Whitney;  189  6  to  '98,  Rev.  R.  C. 
Lansing;  1898  to  1905,  Rev.  A.  Mc- 
Intyre;  1905  to  '07,  Rev.  A.  C. 
Dodge;  1909  to  1911,  Rev.  G.  P. 
Linderman. 

April  7,  1808,  the  church  voted  to 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


hit 


build  a  meeting  house  36  by  54 
feet,  and  the  following  year  the  pres- 
ent church  edifice  was  erected. 
'Philo  and  Ozias  Yale  scored  the  first 
stick  of  timber  used  in  its  construc- 
tion, and  the  former  drew  it  to  the 
spot  where  the  church  now  stands 
after  it  was  hewed  by  Abijah  Bene- 
dict. After  the  church  was  enclosed 
services  were  held  in  it  for  two  or 
three  years  without  any  fire,  to  make 
the  worshippers  comfortable  benches 
without  any  backs  supplied  them  for 
seats.  In  this  rude  structure  con- 
trasting so  strangely  with  the  com- 
fortable, even  luxurious,  appoint- 
ments of  our  present  houses  of  wor- 
ship men,  women  and  children  as- 
sembled in  cold  winter  weather  and 
listened  to  two  sermons  each  Sun- 
day with  naught  save  clothing  of 
their  own  manufacture  to  keep  them- 
selves warm.  Oh,  for  more  of  that 
spirit  today,  there  would  not  be  so 
many  half  filled  churches.  After  a 
time  square  box  pews,  then  in  vogue, 
were  substituted  for  the  rough 
benches.  The  church  was  remodled 
and  repaired  and  a  new  bell  and 
steeple  added  in  1840,  at  a  cost  of 
$1,492,  and  some  twelve  years  later 
the  interior  was  repaired  and  re- 
modeled at  an  expense  of  $500. 
Only  occasional  trifling  repairs  have 
been  made.  The  church  has  had  a 
good  parsonage  for  many  years.  The 
pecuniary  embarassment  of  the 
church  were  very  great  and  many 
sacrifices  were  made  in  those  early 
days  to  sustain  the  gospel.  During 
Mr.  Thorp's  pastorate  the  societj 
was  confronted  with  the  necessity  of 
raising  an  indebtedness  which  stood 
against  it  or  suffer  a  loss.  Mr. 
Thorp  made  strenuous  effort  to  raise 
the  money  and  after  all  was  raised 
that  it  was  thought  could  be,  there 
was  a  deficiency  of  $65.00.      In  this 


dark  hour  he  went  with  his  trouble 
to  Deacon  Stoddard,  grandfather  of 
John  Stoddard,  now  deceased,  who 
lived  in  Coventryville.  The  Deacon 
was  in  the  field  plowing  with  a  yoke 
of  oxen.  He  sat  upon  the  plow 
beam  and  after  a  few  minutes  re- 
fiection  he  arose,  unhitched  the  oxen, 
drove  them  away  and  sold  them,  pay- 
ing the  debt  with  the  proceeds.  Such 
were  the  difficulties  which  confronted 
the  little  colony  in  their  efforts  to 
establish  in  the  inhospitable  wilds 
of  their  new  homes  that  religious 
culture  which  had  hallowed  the  as- 
sociations of  their  native  land,  and 
such  the  heroism  and  devotion  with 
which  they  were  met  and  overcome. 
The  residents  of  this  town  still 
retain  more  thoroughly  than  in 
most  parts  of  this  territory  the 
sterling  character  of  their  Puritan 
ancestors.  Among  the  prominent 
men  in  early  days,  noted  for  piety 
and  energy,  were:  C.  S.  M.  Stork, 
.John  Stoddard,  1st;  John  Stoddard, 
2nd;  A.  Ives,  P.  Yale,  O.  Yale,  Philo 
Minor,  B.  Benedict,  T.  Blake,  Ishmal 
Rogers,  Russell  Waters,  and  later 
Eden,  Elickim,  and  Ira  Benedict, 
Moses  Miles,  Marshal  Miles,  and 
still  later  Jared  Bassett,  B.  Buckley 
and  B.  Taggart. 

Previous  to  1815  the  church  was 
connected  with  the  Northern  As- 
sociated Presbytery.  In  Februrary 
of  that  year  it  united  with  the  Union 
Association.  June  19,  1827,  it  was 
received  under  the  care  of  the  Che- 
nango Presbytery.  April  17,  1842, 
it  resolved  to  ask  for  a  dismission 
from  the  association  and  stand  neu- 
tral for  a  while  until  prepared  to 
choose  where  to  unite.  June  10, 
1845,  it  was  again  received  under 
the  care  of  the  Chenango  Presby- 
tery. At  present  it  stands  related 
with  the  Presbytery  of  Binghamton. 


45 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


The    number    of    members    in    June. 
1879,   was   150,   the  average  attend- 
ance at   Sabbath  school,   60. 
Manufacturei's 

The  first  thing  the  farmers  had  to 
sell  was  lumber  and  the  first  of  that 
was  pine  shingles.  Pine  was  very 
plenty  and  they  made  shingles  thirty 
inches  long  and  sold  them  for  $1.00 
a  thousand.  They  sold  good  pine 
lumber  for  $4.00  a  thousand.  About 
a  mile  north  west  of  Coventryville, 
is  a  steam  sawmill  owned  by  Ray 
Seeley,  and  built  by  his  father,  Wil- 
liam, many  years  ago;  and  one  and 
one-half  miles  north  is  another 
owned  by  George  Hodge  and  built  by 
Edwin   Ogden. 

About  three  and  one-half  miles 
south  east  of  Coventryville  is  a 
grist  and  sawmill  which  was  built 
some  sixty  years  ago  by  John 
Landers  and  owned  for  a  good  many 
years  by  his  sons,  Frederick  and 
John.  I  think  it  is  not  running  now. 
As  has  been  said  there  was  a  grist- 
mill, a  carding  and  cloth  dressing 
mill,  all  combined,  a  little  south  of 
Coventryville  about  two  miles  west 
of  Coventry  owned  and  run  by  Mr. 
Brainard,  who  afterwards  run  the 
gristmill  at  Center  Village. 

The  saw  mills  run  by  water  were 
many,  every  little  stream  had  from 
one  to  four.  I  think  it  would  be 
safe  to  say  there  were  fifteen  or  more 
in  the  town.  Fifty  years  ago  there 
were  four  cooper  shops  running  at 
full  blast,  two  and  three  men  work- 
ing in  each  shop.  The  Laman  Bros, 
told  me  that  they  have  had  six  men 
working  in  their  shop  at  one  time. 

The  first  tannery  and  the  only  one 
in  town  was  built  by  John  Foot 
about  1805  and  was  run  until  about 
1890,  most  of  the  time  it  did  an  ex- 
tensive business.  David  Hayes  run 
it   for  a  great  many  years  until  his 


death  which  occurred  in  1864,  after 
that  it  was  run  by  John  Dibble  until 
about  twenty  years  ago.  We  feel  as 
though  this  history  would  be  in- 
complete without  the  review  of  one 
hundred  years.  Although  I  have 
written  a  little  of  it,  it  contains 
many  incidents  and  thrilling  scenes 
which  I  must  record,  but  before  the 
review  comes,  I  think  we  had  better 
have  a  poem,  written  by  Mrs.  Bene- 
dict, the  poetess  of  Coventryville 
church. 

Building   for  God 

Eightieth  anniversary  of  the  or- 
ganization of  the  First  church,  Cov- 
entryville. 

When  for  their  country  men  can  die. 
Perchance     a     garland     wreathes 
their    name; 
And  in  the  nation's  archives  high. 
The  centures  finds  their  deeds  of 
fame. 
But  men  may  live  and  toil,  and  do 
Their    duty    with    persistent    will; 
And  building  for  the  good  and  true. 
Their  simple   lives   with   grandeur 
fill. 

Such   men   were  here!      we  may  not 
know 
The  self-denying  love  that  thrilled 
Their  hearts,  and  made  them  warmer 
glow. 
While  patiently  the  soil  they  tilled. 
"Now   let   rise   and    build    for   God!" 
With    one   united   voice   they   cry; 
Then    ready   feet   the   forest   trod. 
And  marked  the  tall  pines  stretch- 
ing high. 

Axes  with  true  and  steady  stroke 
Brought   down    the     monarchs    of 
the  soil; 
The  sure  strong  oxen  bore  the  yoke 

Of  service  in   the  daily  toil. 
The  sills  were  laid,  the  rafters  rose. 
And,  slow  and  sure,  the  work  went 
on, 
O'ercoming  all  that  might  oppose. 
Until     the     "meeting-house"     was 
done. 

Fronting  the  south  it  proudly  stood; 

Was  entered  by  a  double  door; 
Plain   and   unpainted  was  the  wood, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


1,9 


No  fires  within,  and  bare  the  floor. 
By      narrow      stairs      the      preacher 
climbed, 
To    reach    the    pulpit    placed     so 
high, 
And  if  his  sermons  were  well  timed, 
He   upward   drew   each   heart  and 
eye. 

But  as  improvement  makes  its  way, 
Where  earnest   working  souls  are 
found, 
It   happened   that  once  on  a   day, 
The  ancient-looking^  house  turned 
round. 
And      when      the      rosy      sunshine 
streamed 
One  morning  over  hill  and  dell, 
Upon  a  pillared  front  it  gleamed. 
And  music  floated   from  the  bell. 

The  seats  were  changed.     The  pulpit 
then 
Was  taken  from  its  lofty  perch 
For   desk   and   sofa;    that  was  when 
The     meeting     house     became     a 
church. 
Will  we  not  gladly  gather  here. 
And    in    the    same    strong,    helpful 
name 
Of  Him  who  led  our  father's  on, 
Press    forward    in    the    way     they 
came? 

With  reverent  step  these  aisles  they 
trod; 
Their   voices    bent   in    prayer   and 
song; 
They   simply   came   to   worship   God, 
And    counted    not    the    hours    too 
long. 
T'was    here    the    grave    old    deacons 
sat 
Serenely,  this  side,  in  their  pews; 
And,   while  at  church,   we're  certain 
that 
They   ne'er   discussed    the    weekly 
news. 

Where   are     the     builders?      Toiling 
hands 
And  eyes  that  looked  with  joy  and 
pride 
Upon  this  house,   that  firmly  stands 
Are  closed  and  folded  side  by  side. 
The  summer  grasses  o'er  them  creep. 
The  winter  snows  upon  them  fall; 
Over    their    graves     none     pause     to 
weep, — 
Yet    "by    their    works"    remember 
all. 


How   changed!      Today    could    they 
but  view 
The  place  where  once,  with  placid 
mien. 
They      always      sat      two      sermons 
through, 
With    lunch    and    Sunday    school 
between, — 
What    would    they    think    of    weary 
souls 
Who    scarce   can    wait   till    one    is 
through? 
Though  blest  with   warmth  of  glow- 
ing coals, 
With  shutters,   carpets,   cushioned 
pew. 

I  look,  but  memory  fondly  throws 
O'er   all    these    seats     its     blissful 
rays ; 
I  only  see  the  forms  of  those 

Who  gathered  here  in  other  days. 
The  hymns  come  floating  from  above, 
The  grand  old  fugue,  the  anthem 
bold. 
But  the   lips  that  sung  the  Savior's 
love. 
To  earthly  songs  are  hushed  and 
cold. 

We   in   the  earthly   temple, — they 
In   one   to   mortals   yet   unseen. 
Where    floods    of    heavenly    radiance 
play, 
Yet  but  a  shadow  lies  between. 
Perchance     some     helpful     message, 
borne 
Downward    on    trembling   lines   of 
light. 
Cheers  weary  hearts  or  hearts  that 
mourn. 
Making   some     saddened     moment 
bright. 

Some  day  we  hope  to  upward  rise. 
And     join     the     heavenly,     happy 
band. 
In  worship  pure  beyond  the  skies. 
In    temples    built    by     God's     own 
hand. 
But     this     with     years     and     honor 
crowned. 
We  consecrate,   O  Lord,  to  Thee! 
Here      help      and      strength      our 
fathers  found; 
Here  may  our  labors  ever  be. 

Coventry  is  an  ancient  English 
covenant  town  in  Warwickshire,  on 
the   Sherburne   river,   an   affluent   of 


50 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


the  Avon;  about  eighteen  miles 
east,  south  east  Birmingham  pleas- 
antly and  advantageousl.v  located  in 
the  very  center  of  old  England.  It 
is  a  quaint  old  city  mellow  with 
years,  dating  back  to  the  early  part 
of  the  eleventh  century,  rich  in 
everything  of  which  England  may 
be  proud,  yet  of  its  antiquity,  or 
legends,  or  history  or  architecture, 
its  feudal  forms  of  church  and  state, 
is  not  our  province  here  to  speak. 
We  give  it  honorable  mention,  a 
cordial  greeting,  because  it  is  the 
venerable  grandmother  of  our  own 
Coventry  in  Chenango  county,  New 
York.  Like  its  grandame,  our  Cov- 
entry is  situated  aliuost  in  the  very 
center  of  this  great  Empire  State; 
whilst  not  possessing  hoary  or  re- 
nowned antiquity,  yet  it  can  proudly 
boast  of  as  favorable  location,  as 
fine  climate,  as  rich  soil,  as  in- 
dustrious, contented  and  intelligent 
people  as  can  be  found  in  any 
country.  Coventry,  Tolland  county, 
Connecticut,  in  the  north  east  part 
of  the  State,  was  so  named  by  peo- 
ple settling  there  from  this  same  old 
Coventry  in  England;  yet  of  the 
circumstances  and  the  time  of  its 
settlement  there  is  no  record.  It  is 
at  present  a  quiet,  prosperous  New 
England  town,  with  all  modern  fa- 
cilities, two  Congregational  churches, 
one  Methodist,  one  Episcopal  and  a 
Catholic.  Some  men,  both  great  in 
church  and  State,  had  their  birth  in 
this  place.  Nathan  Hale,  the  vet- 
eran spy  of  the  Revolution,  was  a 
native  of  this  town;  Harlam  Page  of 
Tract  Society  fame,  belonged  to  this 
place.  From  here  a  goodly  number 
of  men  entered  the  ministry,  among 
them  Rev.  Badger  connected  with 
the  American  Missionary  Associa- 
tion. With  dates  and  personelle  not 
at   all    uncertain,    we   can    therefore 


trace   the   origin,    right   and   title  to 
the  name  we  bear. 

Coventry  of  the  Empire  State, 
then  is  the  legitimate  daughter  of  a 
worthy  mother.  All  three,  daughter, 
mother  and  grandmother,  redoubt- 
able factors  in  the  world's  life  and 
history,  living  and  vigorous,  yet  in- 
dependent and  almost  unknown  to 
each  other.  With  few  exceptions 
these  early  settlers  came  from  Con- 
necticut. This  immigration  from 
the  homeland  occupied  a  period  of 
thirty  years,  1785  to  1815.  New 
England  life  has  left  its  impress  up- 
on the  steady  habits  and  intelligent 
character  of  the  people  to  this  day. 
These  men  and  women  too,  for  we 
cannot  ignore  the  fact  that  it  takes 
the  man  and  the  woman  to  make 
complete  humanity;  the  man  to  con- 
quer nature,  and  the  woman  to 
beautify  and  adorn  the  house.  These 
persons  were  not  God's  in  the  old 
fabulous  scene,  nor  were  they  giants 
in  the  scripture  sense.  They  were 
strong,  hardy,  vigorous  pioneers, 
able  to  battle  with  the  difficulties  of 
a  frontier  life  and  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem of  building  homes  and  planting 
a  Christian  civilization  on  the  very 
outskirts  of  the  forest  world.  Worthy 
successors  of  the  early  sires  of  the 
Mayflower.  The  forest  was  dense, 
the  trees  of  great  size,  wild  game 
plentiful,  panther,  bear,  wolf,  deer 
and  small  game  in  abundance.  It 
needed  the  sinewy  body,  the  brawny 
arms,  the  active  brain,  the  level 
head  of  the  old  Puritan  stock  to 
swing  the  ax,  fell  the  trees,  clear 
the  fields,  build  the  log  cabins  and 
plant  the  first  crop,  to  sow  the  first 
seed  in  the  virgin  soil.  This  stamp 
of  brawn  and  muscle  only  could 
succeed  in  the  wilds  of  such  a  wilder- 
ness to  claim  the  country  for  God 
and   civilization  and  to  make  it  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


51 


habitable  abode  of  cultured  men  and 
women.  This  honor  belongs  to  the 
hardy  sons  of  New  England.  No 
other  type  of  men  would  have  been 
equal  to  the  undertaking.  We  of 
today  are  apt  to  discount  the  old- 
time  Puritan.  We  imagine  him 
gloomy,  morose,  unsocial,  aggress- 
ive, tyranical,  domineering,  over- 
bearing. Some  of  this  may  be  true, 
much  of  it  is  a  great  mistake.  He 
was  genial,  healthy,  robust,  natural; 
a  tremendous  will  power;  a  man  for 
emergencies;  a  meddler  with  things 
difficult  and  greatly  inclined  to  un- 
dertake the  impossible.  His  theol- 
ogy made  him  the  man  he  was.  It 
is  theology  that  made  him  the  man; 
that  makes  the  nation;  that  makes 
the  people.  The  old  New  England 
Puritans  would  ring  from  God,  nol- 
ens volens;  the  agreement,  the 
pledge  that  he  was,  without  doubt  or 
forfeiture,  one  of  the  elect  children 
destined  for  all  eternity;  a  chosen 
man  of  the  Almighty.  With  this 
consciousness  he  was  a  power  un- 
conquerable, invincible.  Nothing 
impossible  with  God  on  his  side. 
No  other  consideration  can  account 
for  or  explain  the  reason  why  New 
England  has  so  stamped  itself  on 
the  national  life.  Such  were  the 
forefathers  of  this  country;  well  and 
nobly  did  they  do  their  part  in  the 
modeling  of  the  grand  old  Empire 
State. 

The  first  settlement  in  Coventry 
was  in  1785,  and  just  three  years 
after  this  the  first  school  house  was 
built,  indicating  that  the  settlers 
located  here  with  great  rapidity  and 
educational  faculties  were  therefore 
a  need.  This  school  house  was  built 
of  the  same  material  as  the  house  at 
that  time,  a  log  structure.  It  served 
a  threefold  purpose  of  school  house, 
meeting  house  and  town  hall.     The 


building  stood  about  one-fourth  of  a 
mile  south  of  this  village,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  brook,  about  seven 
rods  to  the  west  after  crossing  the 
bridge  on  the  road  to  Afton,  on 
lands  now  owned  by  Frank  Pearsall. 
Sixteen  years  ago  in  this  house 
where  we  are  now  assembled,  in  the 
presence  of  an  appreciative  aud- 
ience the  one  hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  relic  of  the  past  was  celebrat- 
ed. Hon.  Edgar  A.  Pearsall  and  Mrs. 
William  Henry  Benedict  did  honors 
to  the  occasion;  the  one  by  his 
eulogy,  the  other  by  a  poem  rehears- 
ed in  eloquent  and  appropriate 
language  the  history  of  the  old  log 
school  house.  A  memorial  stone 
should  mark  the  site  to  keep  it  in 
perpetual  remembrance.  Wherever 
the  New  Englander  went  his  theol- 
ogy went.  The  religious  usages  of 
childhood,  youth  and  early  man- 
hood could  not  be  effaced.  Church 
members  or  not,  he  was  accustomed 
to  regular  attendance  at  the  house 
of  God  every  Lord's  day,  and  this 
habit  followed  him  into  his  frontier 
forest  home.  Before  building  the 
school  house  the  people  met  on  the 
Sabbath  day  from  house  to  house,  to 
read  the  scriptures,  sing  and  pray, 
though  none  of  them  were  profess- 
ing Christians.  The  wives  of  these 
New  England  pioneers,  influenced  by 
their  early  home  training,  were  the 
chief  promoters  of  the  Sabbath 
gatherings.  The  Christian  world 
will  never  know  how  much  it  is  in- 
debted to  the  Godly  women  of  the 
early  settlements.  Although  a  few 
in  numbers  and  the  people  living  far 
apart,  these  services  were  regularly 
maintained  and  the  number  increas- 
ed by  new  comers.  The  building  of 
the  house  of  worship  was  a  serious 
undertaking  the  country  yet  scarcely 
settled,    and    but    little    wealth,    yet 


52 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


enterprise  and  perseverance  over- 
came all  obstacles.  The  building  was 
reared  and  enclosed  but  resources 
failed  and  there  it  must  rest  awhile. 
Several  years  elapsed  before  its  com- 
pletion. The  form  of  the  building 
was  square  and  it  faced  the  south. 
Rough  plain  benches  served  for 
seats,  the  only  heating  apparatus, 
the  foot  stoves  brought  by  the  wo- 
men from  their  homes.  The  pulpit, 
a  small  box  like  structure,  midway 
between  the  floor  and  the  ceiling, 
reached  by  a  narrow  stairway.  Us- 
ually there  was  a  sounding  board 
above  the  pulpit,  over  the  minister's 
head  to  force  the  voice  downward  to 
the  audience.  In  summer  time  wor- 
ship, setting  on  rough  benches  might 
be  agreeable  but  in  the  severity  of 
the  winter  it  would  be  a  difl[icult 
affair.  Imagine  a  congregation  in 
the  coldest  of  the  weather  sitting  on 
those  hard  seats,  wrapped  in  their 
warmest  homespun  clothing.  The 
minister  in  a  heavy  overcoat  button- 
ed up  to  his  chin  on  his  head  a  heavy 
woolen  or  silk  skull  cap,  holding  a 
service  for  two  long  hours  or  more 
in  which  he  dives  deep  into  the 
mystic  lore  of  speculative  philosophy, 
of  intricates,  phyological  research  ol- 
the  unfathomable  depths  of  God's 
infinite  being.  His  eternal  decrees, 
and  his  wonderful  plan  of  salvation 
for  the  redemption  of  a  lost  and 
ruined  world. 

The  people  listening  in  respectful 
attitude  give  close  attention  to  the 
spoken  word  and  you  have  a  picture 
of  a  devout  worshipful  assembly  of 
the  olden  times  worthy  of  our  deep- 
est and  profound  regards.  Such  were 
the  fathers  and  mothers  of  Coventry 
one  hundred  years  ago,  earnest  and 
sincere  worshippers  of  God.  Up  to 
the  present  date  affairs  stood  thus: 
1785,     the     first    settlement;     1788, 


the  first  school  house;  1804,  the 
first  society  organized;  1807,  the 
first  church  assumed  righteous  life; 
1809,  the  first  meeting  house  erect- 
ed. The  first  general  election  of  the 
town  was  held  the  29th  and  30th 
days  of  April  and  the  first  day  of 
May,  and  Gen.  Benjamin  Jones  was 
elected  Member  of  Assembly. 

An  amusing  incident  is  told  of 
Gen.  Jones'  journey  to  Albany  to 
take  his  seat.  Travelers  then  had 
to  find  their  own  conveyance  and 
Mr.  Jones  fell  in  with  a  teamster, 
who  was  going  to  Catskill,  and  bar- 
gained for  a  ride.  The  journey  was 
long  and  Mrs.  Jones  therefore  pre- 
pared for  her  husband  a  well-filled 
box  of  provisions.  The  first  night 
out  he  had  some  doubts  as  to  the 
propriety  of  a  member  of  the  As- 
sembly carrying  a  lunch  box  under 
his  arm,  agreed  with  the  teamster 
to  take  charge  of  it  when  they  ar- 
rived at  the  hotel  and  at  a  suitable 
time,  invite  Mr.  Jones  to  eat  with 
him.  Under  the  circumstances  the 
teamster  condescended  to  do  so  and 
all  went  well.  At  the  proper 
time  the  teamster  opened  the  box 
and  proceeded  quietly  to  eat  his  sup- 
per without  any  courteous  invitation 
to  his  legislative  associate.  Mr. 
Jones,  after  waiting  some  time,  sug- 
gested to  the  teamster  that  as  the 
victuals  looked  tempting  he  felt 
much  inclined  to  partake  with  him. 
The  teamster  looked  up  and  in  an 
unmannerly  way  replied:  "You  can 
if  you  want  to,  of  course,  the  vic- 
tuals are  good!" 

A  story  is  told  of  Burrige  Miles, 
which  should  not  be  left  out  of  this 
sketch.  The  log  hut  which  became 
his  dwelling  when  he  first  came  into 
the  country,  was  the  log  house  al- 
ready built  by  Royal  Wilkins,  but  no 
door   as  yet   had   been   hung   and    a 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


53 


heavy  blanket  was  kept  to  supply  the 
place.  A  blazing  fire  on  the  hearth 
was  expected  to  burn  all  night  to 
frighten  away  the  wild  animals.  With 
loaded  gun  at  his  pillow,  Miles  slept 
the  first  night  in  his  unfinished  hut. 
In  the  late  hours  of  the  night,  a 
panther  stuck  his  head  through  the 
blanket  and  gave  a  fierce  howl.  The 
sleeper  sprang  from  his  bed  and 
seizing  his  gun,  found  the  fire  had 
gone  out.  He  could  perceive  only 
the  fiery  eyeballs  of  the  wild  ani- 
mal and  his  unerring  gun  dealt 
death  to  the  intruding  brute. 

Mrs.  Eunice  Stork  and  three 
sons,  Christopher  L.  M.,  William 
and  Luther  came  into  the  country 
in  1792.  The  husband  and  father 
was  a  sea  captain  and  out  on  a 
voyage  at  the  time  of  the  immigra- 
tion from  the  homeland.  On  ar- 
riving at  port  he  followed  his  fam- 
ily. But  a  frontier  life  was  too 
tame  for  him  and  he  returned  to  the 
charge  of  his  vessel  which  proved 
his  last  voyage.  The  ship  foundered 
at  sea  and  went  down  with  all  on 
board.  Christopher  L.  M.  Stork's 
name  stands  prominent  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  parish  and  also  of 
the  church  in  1807.  He  was  elect- 
ed to  the  office  of  deacon  in  1808. 
He  was  tall,  strong  and  of  a  vigorous 
physique.  He  owned  a  large  farm 
and  also  carried  on  the  business  of 
tanner  and  shoemaker.  When  cross- 
ing the  Hudson  river,  his  valise  fell 
into  the  water  and  on  reaching  the 
shore  he  ran  down  the  stream  in 
advance  of  the  current,  waded  into 
the  river  and  seized  the  valise  as  it 
came  floating  down.  A  fortunate 
thing  for  him  as  it  contained  all  his 
available  worldly  wealth  and  about 
$450.  The  wallet  which  held  the 
money  is  in  the  possession  of  his 
grandson,   Russell   Stork. 


A  story  is  told  of  Deacon  Stork, 
which  illustrates  his  vigorous  indi- 
viduality. One  day  a  panther  came 
for  prey  in  his  cattle  yard  and  the 
Deacon  and  his  man,  Elliot,  pursued 
the  animal  to  a  tree  in  the  adjoin- 
ing orchard.  As  the  two  men  ap- 
proached, the  animal  sprang  furious- 
ly toward  them  only  to  meet  the  un- 
erring bullet  v/hich  laid  him  dead 
with  his  claws  fastened  in  Elliot's 
boots.  The  Deacon  stooped  and 
grasped  the  brute  by  the  feet  and  by 
the  strength  of  his  sinewy  arms 
lifted  him  as  high  as  he  could  reach 
and  the  animal  measured  just  the 
distance  between  stalwart  Deacon's 
hands  and  the  earth. 

The  Storks  came  from  Cheshire 
in  their  manhood  prime.  Christo- 
pher L.  M.,  with  his  wife  and  three 
children,  his  wife  making  the  jour- 
ney of  four  hundred  miles  on 
horseback  with  babe  in  her  arms. 
The  household  goods  accompanied 
by  the  other  members  of  the  fami- 
ly were  carried  on  a  sled  drawn  by 
a  yoke  of  oxen.  The  other  two 
lived  outside  of  the  immediate  com- 
munity. One  granddaughter  of  Chris- 
topher L.  M.  Stork  is  now  living  In 
Coventry;  Mrs.  Albert  Seymour,  to 
whom  we  are  indebted  for  consider- 
able   information. 

The  following  extract  from  the 
history  of  Harpursville  gives  a  brief 
incident  of  the  early  settlement  of 
the  Jones'.  The  original  owner  of 
the  J.  Warren  Harpur  farm  was 
Simeon  Jones  who  came  from  Cov- 
entry, Connecticut,  and  settled  in 
1795.  Later  the  property  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  Harpur  family 
and  is  known  as  the  Bryant  farm. 
Mr.  Jones  as  a  pastime,  would  oc- 
casionally indulge  in  a  fascinating- 
recreation,  at  least  to  Mr.  Jones,  of 
filling    a    basket    with    rattlesnakes, 


5i 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


killed  on  the  hills  back  of  the  house, 
l.>laoing  them  upon  his  back,  and 
lake  them  home  to  try  out  the  oil. 
At  that  time  rattlesnake  oil  was 
very  valuable. 

In  the  spring  of  1788,  Gen.  Benja- 
min Jones,  a  cousin  of  Simeon,  set- 
tled on  the  Youmans  farm  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river.  Gen.  Jones 
was  a  commanding  officer  in  the  U. 
S.  Army  and  saw  service  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  The  Jones  fami- 
lies are  numerous  in  the  Susquehan- 
na valley.  The  removal  from  the 
valley  to  the  hills  of  Coventry  of 
Gen.  Jones  came  about  in  this  way: 
Soon  after  moving  to  the  Youmans 
farm  his  horses  got  away.  They  were 
followed  by  a  pathway  with  only 
blazed  trees  as  a  guide  to  Harpurs- 
ville,  on  to  Belden  and  up  into  Cov- 
entry, where  they  were  found.  The 
impression  was  so  favorable  that 
he  sold  out  and  settled  in  Coventry. 

An  incident  is  related  of  the  fam- 
ily of  Simeon  Parker.  One  Sun- 
day while  the  family  were  at  church, 
two  brothers,  who  were  left  at  home 
to  keep  house  went  to  the  spring, 
and  there  found  some  cubs  which 
they  supposed  were  little  dogs. 
They  had  a  fine  time  with  the  ani- 
mals, the  mother  bear  all  the  time, 
unnoticed  by  the  boys,  sat  a  short 
distance  away,  apparently  unconcern- 
ed, watching  the  performance.  The 
parents  upon  returning  home,  were 
terrified  at  the  peril  of  their  chil- 
dren and  rejoiced  in  their  providen- 
tial  escape. 

As  already  stated  of  the  Stod- 
dards,  there  was  a  family  of  ten 
children.  Curtis,  the  eldest,  was  a 
strong,  muscular  well  built  man 
and  it  is  said  on  good  authority  that 
he  cut  ten  acres  of  wood  every  year 
until  his  farm  was  cleared.  In  speak- 
ing  to   Mr.   J.   J.    Stoddard,   I   asked 


him  if  this  was  not  an  incredible 
feat?  He  answered,  yes  and  no, 
and  said  some  of  those  men  could 
swing  an  ax  with  increditable  dexter- 
ity and  an  acre  of  forest  timber 
would  fall  before  it  with  seemingly 
no   very  great  effort. 

This  incident  is  related  by  Cur- 
tis. One  day  when  in  the  woods, 
chopping  about  noon,  as  the  tree 
that  he  was  cutting  down  began  to 
topple  and  fall  he  heard  the  voice 
of  his  little  boy  calling  him  to  din- 
ner. Looking  up,  to  his  consterna- 
tion he  saw  the  child  standing  di- 
rectly in  the  way  of  the  falling 
tree.  As  it  fell  it  bore  the  body  to 
the  earth,  the  trunk  of  the  tree 
lying  across  the  body  of  the  child. 
As  rapidly  as  strength  and  skill 
could  work  a  tree  was  cut  a  short 
distance  above  where  the  boy  lay, 
and  with  the  strength  of  a  giant  he 
lifted  the  stump  section  from  the 
prostrate  body  and  flung  it  aside. 
He  then  lifted  his  unconscious  child 
in  his  arms  and  carried  him  to  the 
house.  As  the  news  of  the  accident 
spread,  men  came  rapidly  to  make 
inquiries  and  render  assistance. 
Some  visited  the  scene  of  the  ac- 
cident and  declared  that  it  would 
have  taken  the  strength  of  five  men 
to  lift  the  trunk  of  that  tree  which 
Curtis  did  under  the  excitement  of 
the  occasion.  Wonderful  to  relate 
the  child  regained  consciousness  and 
fully    recovered. 

Benedict 

Benjamin  Benedict  moved  to 
Coventry  in  18  20.  He  was  dea- 
con of  the  First  Congregational 
church  ni  Winchester.  Conn.  In 
the  church  book  is  the  record: 
"March  9,  1821,  Deacon  Benja- 
min Benedict,  and  Sylvia,  his 
wile,  recommended  from  the  church 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


55 


at  Winchester,  Conn.,  were  re- 
ceived as  members  of  this  church." 
The  church  voted  likewise  that  Dea- 
con Benedict  officiate  as  deacon  in 
this  church. 

Deacon  Ithuel  Blake  and  his  wife. 
Wealthy,  hailed  from  Winchester, 
Conn.,  in  1818.  Wealthy  was  a 
daughter  of  Deacon  Benjamin  Bene- 
dict, and  Ithuel  was  a  man  of  great 
simplicity  of  character  and  led  an 
exemplary  life. 

Ithuel  Rogers  united  with  the 
church  in  1812,  recommended  from 
the  church  at  Greenville,  Mass.,  from 
v/hich  place  he  had  moved  at  an 
early  date. 

Benjamin  Taggart  and  Mehitable, 
his  wife,  though  perhaps  the  latest 
comers  and  the  farthest  away,  yet 
their  punctuality  and  faithfulness  to 
all  church  service  became  proverbial, 
and  the  influence  bore  fruit  towards 
a  respectful  observance  of  Christian 
responsibility  and  the  service  of  God. 

Last  but  not  least  comes  Hon. 
Charles  Pearsall,  who  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  church,  by  his 
vigorous  individuality,  skillful  finan- 
cial management  and  wise  council, 
bore  the  church  bravely  onward  to 
the  approach  of  its  centennial  year. 
Although  he  did  not  live  to  see  it, 
passing  away  in  1897,  yet  by  his 
untiring  zeal  did  as  much  for  the 
permanent  prosperity  of  the  church 
and  to  make  the  anniversary  of  1904 
pleasureable  and  a  possibility.  He 
is  one  of  the  links  uniting  the  pres- 
ent with  the  past. 

Early  Incidents 

The  history  of  the  early  years  is 
replete  with  remarkable  incidents 
not  yet  recorded  but  worthy  of  a 
prominent  place  in  the  record  of 
church  and  society.  We  gather  a 
few  of  them  and  the  following  is  a 


characteristic  of  frontier  life.  The 
two  Miles  brothers,  Simeon  and 
Moses,  had  been  chopping  all  day  in 
the  woods  and  on  their  way  home 
were  met  by  a  bear.  As  they  had 
no  guns  Moses  suggested  that  they 
drive  him  towards  the  house  and 
capture  him.  Simeon,  who  was  urg- 
ing the  beast  onward  approached 
too  near  and  the  animal  turned  and 
seized  him  in  his  forepaws.  As  the 
bear  opened  his  mouth  Simeon 
thrust  his  hand  down  his  throat  and 
seized  the  roots  of  its  tongue  and 
held  his  grip  until  Moses  run  for  a 
gun  and  dogs,  when  the  animal  was 
speedily   dispatched. 

Another  incident  was  related  of 
Amasa  Ives,  who  was  a  strong  lead- 
ing character  in  the  settlement.  One 
morning  he  heard  an  unusual  dis- 
turbance in  the  sheep  yard.  Hasten- 
ing out  he  saw  a  wolf  in  the  midst 
of  his  flock.  He  rushed  upon  the 
animal,  caught  him  by  his  hind  feet 
and  swinging  him  round  and  rouna, 
took  as  soon  as  possible  his  pocket 
knife  from  his  pocket,  opened  it 
with  his  teeth  and  cut  the  ham- 
strings, threw  the  wolf  down  and 
run  for  his  gun. 

A  story  is  told  of  Epaphras 
Waters  and  of  his  proverbial  regu- 
larity at  church  service.  Every  Sab- 
bath, rain  or  shine,  snow  or  sleet, 
he  went  to  church.  One  Sunday 
morning  in  winter  he  drove  his  horse 
and  sleigh  to  the  door,  left  the 
horse  standing  and  went  into  the 
house  to  put  on  his  overcoat  and 
while  doing  so  the  church  bell  be- 
gan to  ring.  The  horse  recognizing 
the  familiar  sound  started  at  a  brisk 
pace  for  the  meeting  house  and 
when  Mr.  Waters  came  to  the  door, 
behold  his  steed  was  gone.  He  fol- 
lowed hard  after  and  on  reaching 
the  church  found  the  horse  standing 


56 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


quietly  in  his  own  stable  in  the 
church  sheds.  He  turned  him 
around  and  went  home  for  his  fam- 
ily. This  is  a  fair  sample  of  Chris- 
tian punctuality   of  those   days. 

Many  of  the  men  were  not  only 
finely  developed  physically  but  of 
great  strength.  To  conquer  the 
wilds  of  nature  this  was  a  dire 
necessity,  and  here  is  an  illustration. 
Deacon  Philo  Minor  and  John  Stod- 
dard, Sr.,  were  together  at  the  cider 
mill  and  three  barrels  of  cider  were 
loaded  into  Deacon  Stoddard's  cart. 
As  the  oxen  were  headed  into  the 
road  and  up  the  hill  the  cart  body 
not  being  fastened  down  tilted  and 
the  barrels  rolled  some  distance 
down  the  hill.  The  deacon  followed 
with  his  oxen  and  cart  and  lifting 
each  barrel  of  cider  placed  them  in 
his  cart  with  as  much  ease  as  if  it 
had  been  a  basket  of  potatoes. 

There  were  also  in  those  days 
political  honesty  as  well  as  Chris- 
tian integrity.  There  were  three  vot- 
ing places  in  the  town,  and  Deacon 
Ithuel  Blake,  who  had  charge  of  the 
ballot  box,  would  carry  it  to  each 
place  with  the  uncounted  votes  and 
no  one  thought  of  impeaching  his 
uprightness.  Ye  scribe  thinks  it 
would  be  better  if  we  had  more  such 
honesty  in  politics  today.  Those 
were  days  of  privation  and  toil, 
hardihood  and  endurance  necessar- 
ily attended  a  frontier  life,  but  they 
were  all  bravely  borne.  Frequent- 
ly by  message  from  home  and  en- 
couraged by  new  comers,  their  is- 
olated conditions  were  only  tempor- 
ary. As  time  moved  on  the  land  was 
cleared,  the  country  became  more 
settled,  families  and  homes  the  order 
of  the  day.  The  customs  and  wages 
of  the  people  were  duplicate  of  those 
in    the    old    Connecticut    homeland; 


gathering  in  each  others  houses  in 
the  winter  evening  where  bounti- 
ful refreshments  were  served  and 
the  social  side  of  life  enjoyed. 

Church  History 

To  be  a  professing  Christian  in 
those  days  was  a  matter  of  some 
consideration;  no  person  entertained 
the  thought,  unless  truly  converted 
to  God  and  intending  to  adorn  his 
profession  by  a  consistent  life.  Yet, 
for  all  this  expulsion,  contrition, 
confession,  reinstatement,  if  not  of 
great  frequency,  yet  the  church  was 
by  no  means  a  stranger  to  the  exer- 
cise of  discipline  in  the  maintain- 
ance  of  her  purity  and  integrity. 
Nor  yet  without  an  occasional 
church  trial;  when  some  recalcitrant 
member  is  arranged  and  either  ten- 
derly admonished,  severely  repri- 
manded or  as  a  last  resort  cut  off 
from  the  fellowship  of  the  church. 
The  oversight,  though  brotherly, 
affectionate  and  forbearing,  was 
minute  and  the  censorship  of  times 
tempered  with  vigor.  In  temperance. 
Sabbath  breaking,  profane  language, 
neglect  of  church  meetings,  associa- 
tion with  excommunicated  persons, 
were  the  chief  misdemeanors  for 
which  church  discipline  were  admin- 
istered. As  an  instance,  a  certain 
brother,  who  to  the  dishonor  of  the 
church  of  Christ  and  in  violation  of 
his  covenant  obligation,  had  been 
for  a  long  time  habitual  if  not  total 
neglectful  of  the  worship  of  God  in 
his  family;  that  is  the  continuous 
neglect  of  family  prayer,  was  com- 
plained of  for  said  neglect.  The 
church  considered  it  a  case  of  law- 
ful discipline  and  the  brother  was 
admonished.  He  pleaded  as  excuse 
his  want  of  confidence  and  lack  of 
ability    to    perform    the    duty.      The 


HISTORY  OP  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


57 


church  refused  to  consider  this  ex- 
cuse sufficient  and  after  repeated 
admonitions  and  lengthened  for- 
bearance he  was  publicly  excluded. 
Another  instance  indicating  that 
while  it  might  not  be  a  sin  to  drink, 
(total  abstinance  being  as  yet 
scarcely  a  possibility)  yet  to  get 
drunk  was  a  very  unchurchly  thing 
and  called  for  discipline,  and  the  ex- 
pulsion, the  confessions,  the  decla- 
mation, are  rather  plentiful  along 
this  line.  A  certain  brother  was 
labored  with  for  indulging  too  freely 
in  the  use  of  strong  drink.  He 
made  humble  confession  yet  he 
afterwards  asserted  that  he  was  not 
so  drunk  but  what  he  could  attend 
to  business.  This  people  whose 
church  centenary  was  commemorat- 
ed that  day,  believed  God,  believed 
in  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Sav- 
ior Jesus  Christ;  believed  in  her 
ordinances  as  a  means  of  salvation; 
believed  in  a  consistent  Christian 
walk  in  life,  and  a  hope  of  blissful 
immortality.  May  many  centennials 
fall  to  her  lot.  However,  incomplete 
and  defective  this  sketch  may  be,  it 
would  be  still  more  so  if  it  did  not 
record  honorable  mention  of  the 
eightieth  anniversary  of  our  church, 
1807-1887,  twenty  years  ago,  cele- 
brated under  the  ministry  of  Rev. 
Augustine  Caldwell  while  pastor  of 
the  church.  The  address  of  the  oc- 
casion is  the  admirable  product  of 
his  pen;  rich  in  historic  statement 
and  anecdote.  A  few  in  common  to 
both — his  pages  and  ours — but 
many  stories  related  by  him  which 
could  not  be  related  here.  It  was 
also  accompanied  by  a  very  felici- 
tious  poem,  written  for  the  occasion 
by  the  poetess  of  our  church,  Mrs. 
Henry  Benedict.  The  address  and 
poem  are  in  print,  published  to- 
gether and  we  hope  will  be  preserv- 


ed in  the  archives  of  the  church  as 
valuable  contributions  to  its  history. 

Revivals 

The  church  has  been  neither  bar- 
ren nor  backward  in  aggressive  work 
for  the  convertion  of  souls  and 
spreading  the  gospel.  Many  out- 
pourings of  the  spirit  and  gracious 
revivals  seasons  have  fallen  to  her 
lot  in  the  years  of  the  century  we 
commemorate.  In  the  month  of 
January,  1808,  when  the  church  was 
a  year  old,  while  Rev.  narrower  of 
Sidney,  of  revered  memory,  was  giv- 
ing to  the  little  congregation  tem- 
porary and  voluntary  service  a  re- 
vival blessing  came  with  an  addition 
of  about  twenty  persons  to  the  mem- 
bership, besides  the  baptism  of  many 
children.  During  the  ministry  of 
Rev.  Thorp  there  were  three  re- 
vivals. In  the  first  three  were  seven 
persons,  in  the  second  twenty,  in  the 
third  forty,  in  all  seventy-six  souls 
added  to  the  church  in  his  ministry 
of  eleven  years.  In  the  ministry  of 
Rev.  Eggleston,  the  church  suffered 
a  temporary  decrease,  as  twenty- 
seven  members  took  letters  of  dis- 
missal to  unite  with  the  Second  Con- 
gregational church  of  Coventry.  In 
the  ministration  of  Rev.  Fitch  just 
one  year's  partorate,  1832,  another 
gracious  outpouring  of  the  spirit 
came  and  seventy-eight  were  added. 
While  Rev.  Butts  was  serving  the 
church  twenty  were  brought  into  the 
fold,  the  fruit  of  a  revival.  The 
pastorate  of  Rev.  Wright  was  em- 
inently successful,  during  the  nine 
years  large  additions  were  made. 
During  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Horton 
forty  were  added.  The  pastorate  of 
Rev.  Cronin  was  wonderfully  blest, 
eighty  persons  came  into  the  church, 
some  whole   families  came  together. 

In   taking   extracts   from   the   cen- 


58 


HISTORY   OF  TKE  TOWN  OF  OOVEXTRY 


tennial  celebration  we  would  not 
think  it  complete  without  the  two 
poems,  one  written  by  Mrs.  William 
Henry  Benedict,  about  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the 
centennial  and  who  is  still  living  at 
this  date.  1912,  in  her  87th  year. 
The  poem  was  recited  by  her  grand- 
daughter. Miss  Ann  Matterson.  The 
other  by  Rev.  Elijah  W.  Stoddard. 
The  centennial  poem  by  Mrs.  Bene- 
dict follows: 
I    surely    now    am    dreaming!       for    I 

stand 
Within    the   dark   old    forest:    and    no 

hand 
Is  near  to  aid  me  if  I  linger  here. 
And   for  a   moment   my   heart  thrills 

with  fear; 
For    here    wild    beasts     have     freely 

roamed   at    will 
For    centuries    perchance    over    vale 

and  hill; 
And  the  dark  Indian  with  wily  tread 
Through     the     dim     labyrinths     has 

swiftly  sped 
Till  inroads  made  by  hardy  pioneers 
With    primal    ownership    now    inter- 
feres. 

But  see!  the  pines  tower  upward 
toward   the  sky. 

Ever  low   music  giving,   like   a  sigh, 

The  weary  heart  might  breathe 
when  sorely  riven. 

And  seek  solace  for  its  grief  from 
heaven. 

But  joyful  songs  from  many  feather- 
ed   throats 

In  richest  harmony  around  one 
floats. 

Hark!   Axes  ring.  The  heavy  strokes 
Bring    down    the     giant     pines     and 

staunch    old    oaks 
See      through      the      opening,      upon 

yonder   hill 
The    smoke    is    rising    floating    up   at 

will; 
Another  settler,  come  from  far  away 
lias  built,  I  see,  his  sniig  log  house 

to  stay. 

Welcome    to    all     new     comers     with 

one  heart 
They    in   each   others  welfare  bear  a 

part. 
From   isolated  homes  when  falls  the 

night 


Huge  fireplace  logs  send  forth  a 
cheerful   light. 

Helping  to  keep  the  prowling  beasts 
afar 

From  lowly  doors  where  timid  dwell- 
ers are. 

.\nd    more    and     more     are     coming 
every  year 
Till    soon    the    wilderness    will    dis- 
appear. 

I  hear  the  brook,  by  which  the 
school    house    stands. 

Built  many  years  ago  by  willing 
hands; 

Surely  none  must  unlearned  and  ig- 
norant   grow 

In  the  new  western  home  they 
sought  and  so 

To  say  was  but  to  do,  they  did  not 
wait 

But  built  of  logs  in  seventeen  eighty- 
eight. 

''hen  anxious  scholars  gathered  at 
the   door 

And  on  slab  seats  studied  their  les- 
sons o'er. 

Ah!  Here  it  is,  did  I  not  hear  a 
song 

I've  heard  before?  but  since,  time 
seems   long. 

There!  now  again,  I  hear  the  voices 
bltr.d 

In  Zion's  songs  and  prayer  and 
praise  ascend. 

I    enter   as   one   says:      Today   we've 

met 
To  talk  of  that  on  which  our  hearts 

are   set, 
The  memory  of  prayer  and  Sabbath 

bells 
Have     touched     a     cord     that     with 

emotion   swells. 
Down     P^ast,     in     homes     where    our 

lov'd     kindred    dw-ell, 
They    keep    thanksgiving.       Oh,     we 

know    how    well. 
And   we  remember  too,  the  reverent 

way 
In    which    we    passed    the   quiet    Sab- 
bath day. 

We    can    no    longer   live   and    pass    it 

by; 
To  keep  it  as  we  used  to,  all  will  try; 
For   one    must    pray,    and    a    sermon 

bring, 
.\nd    the   old   hymn,    why.   surely   all 

can  sing. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


59 


Those    not    professing    Christians    at 

the    time 
K  record  made  of  faith,  strong  and 

sublime 
And    bonnd    them    in    the   wilderness 

they    trod, 
Close  to  the  worship  of  their  fathers' 

God. 
Later    was   formed,    so    records    note 

It  down 
The    first    religious     parish     in     the 

town. 
The  dream  of  long  ago  is  surely  o'er 
I     waken,- — it     is     nineteen-hundred 

four. 
And  I  am  told  our  grandfather  knew 
That  all  I  dreamed  of  them  was  real 

and   true. 

The    winding    brook    still    ripples    on 

its   way, 
Singing  as  when   its  course  through 

forest  lay. 
Grasses     on     its     banks     and     wild 

flowers  blend 
And    to    its    waters   graceful    willows 

bend. 
Green  fields  and  cultivated  acres  lie. 
Through  the  vale  and  crown  the  hill- 
tops high. 
Where  once  marked  trees  guided  the 

traveler's    course. 
Good    roads   and    telephones    now    in 

force 
And    in    the    toil    of    others    we    are 

blest. 

The   house   by   them   its   beams  were 

laid. 
Its  timbers  raised  by  them   in   place 

where  since  they've  stayed 
Enclosed     and     finished     with     rude 

seats,— no  fire, 
Vv'hat    but   true    worship    could    their 

hearts   inspire? 
With    just    our    comforts,    Ah  I    what 

could  they  say. 
To   enter  here,   where   calls   the   bell 

today. 

Their  work  is  done;  by  highest  pur- 
pose wrought 

In  every  labor  of  their  hands  were 
taught 

The  principles  that  ruled  them  in 
their  lives 

And  in  descendants  still  we  trust 
survives. 

To  one  recorded  deed  their  names 
were   set. 

To  which  to  celebrate  today  we've 
met. 


We  lift  the  vetl  over  a  century  cast 
And    bring    to    mind    our    heroes    of 
the  past. 

In  the  afternoon  services  Rev. 
Elijah  W.  Stoddard,  gave  a  truly  in- 
tering  talk  entitled.  Reminiscences 
of  Early  Settlers.  He  referred  to 
nearly  all  of  the  families  represent- 
ed in  the  church  in  his  boyhood 
days,  taking  the  families  in  order 
along  the  various  streets.  He  closed 
with  a  poem,  in  which  were  woven 
the  names  and  some  personal  illu- 
sion to  the  twenty-three  ministers 
v.ho  have  been  pastors  of  the  church 
during  its  history.  The  poem  by 
Rev.   Elijah   W.   Stoddard  follows: 

Our  fathers'  God  whose  loving  care 
appears 

On  all  the  records  of  a  hundred 
year?, 

As   WG   review   a   century   today 

We  would  acknowledge  Thee  in  all 
the  way. 

The  one  great  shepherd  of  the  chos- 
en flock 

Who  gathered  at  the  fountain  of  the 
rock. 

Or  pastures  on  the  ever  living  green 

That  lies  around  the  fold  across  the 
stream. 

The  under  shepherds  numbered 
twenty-three. 

Each  shaping  part  of  this  full  cen- 
tury. 

First  on  the  list  we  find  the  name  of 
Camp, 

Then  Rev.  Wood  held  up  the  guiding 
lamp; 

Rev.  Charles  Thorp  in  answer  to 
much  prayer. 

Was  granted  for  eleven  years  of 
care 

The  harvest  which  resound  an  in- 
crease yeilds 

In  many  garden  spots  and  many 
fields. 

Then  Ambrose  Eggleston,  and  Gould, 
and  Hill, 

Proceed  Octaivus  Fitch,  revered  still 

By  families  to  whom  his  ministry 

Was  the  great  blessing  of  the  cen- 
tury. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Butts,  has  left  a 
name 


60 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


That   faithfulness  and  diligence  may      And  Philo  Minor,  with  Ithuel  Blake, 


claim. 
The     shepherd's     crook     passed     to 

worthy   hands, 
Ilex.     McEwen     fed      the      shepherd's 

lambs. 
Elijah    Whitney    then    the     standard 

bore 
And  Chrispus  Wright  nine  full  years      branch  Morgan    too,  and  N.  G.  Hunt, 


And     his     Alanson     E.,     of     kindred 

make. 
With    Thomas     Yale,     and     honored 

Pearsall,   tell 
Of    faithful    care   that   guarded    Zion 

well. 


and   more. 
Then  G.  M.  Smith  for  two  years  well 
could  toil 


endeared 

By    all    that    makes     life     esteemed, 
revered; 


And  W.  A.  Lockwood  seeded  the  rich  Then       William     .Albert      Stoddard, 

•  J.  whose   desire  had 

His    four    ;ears    and     a     half     were  Been  to  meet  with  gathered  son  and 
blessed  indeed. 


sire 
In  the  centennial  service  of  this  day, 
But    in    his    wisdom    God   has   called 

away; 
But   with   the   great  assembly,   he   is 

given 
To  greet  the  church  of  sainted  ones 

in  heaven. 

His  loving,  faithful,  gentle,  ministry 


As   reapers   gathered   this   well   scat- 
tered seed. 
Seven    fruitful   years   to   Carroll   was 

assigned; 
To    Goodman    eighteen    months    and 

then  we  find. 
For    G.    P.    Horton,     eight     eventful 

years  ^ 

Whose  fruitage  in  this  pleasant  day  Has    done"' its   part   in   the   last   cen- 

appears.  tury. 

To    Rev.    Weeks    two     happy     years  ^nd   may   his  mantle   fall    on   e' 

were  given;  ders  strong 

Then    Rev.    Cronin    by    the   grace    of  to    serve    the    church    for    which    he 

heaven  wrought  so  long. 

Bound  many  sheaves  which  Warner  until  we  cross  the  river  one  by  one, 

helped  to  store  and 

And    Caldwell    came    to    glean    and  Hear    the    welcome    of    our    father's 

garner  more.  home. 

Then   Gaddes   passed;    and   Whitney,  ^nd  share  the  service  and  the  min- 

staunch  and  true,  istry 

Then     Lansing;      then     the     pastor  xi^^t  has  the  ages  of  eternity. 

whose  review 

Of  all  the  years  has  made  the  circle  The    honored    fathers    of    the    olden 

one  time; 

We  trust  his  work  of  love  has  just  The    noble    mothers    with    their    zeal 

begun,  sublime; 

That    it    has   years   of   precious   min-  The   little   band  that  meet  to  praise 

istries  and  pray, 

For    the    great    garner    of    the    cen-  To  honor  God  upon  the  Sabbath  day; 

turies.  And   all    the   membership   of   all    the 

With    these, — the    pastors    and    their  years, 

ministry  As    in    the    century    name    by    name 

The  office  bearers  of  the  century,  appears, 

Have    honored    place    and    endearing  In   some   department  holding  each  a 

name  place 

On   her   church    record   and   her   roll  To    give    the    help     to     some     sweet 

of  fame.  Christian  grace. 

C.    T.    M.    Storks,    and   Gideon    Rich-  The    Sunday    school     in     missionary 

ards,  with  bonds, 

John  Stoddard,   senior,   in   their  ser-  In  all  that  serves  in  home  or  foreign 

vice  live;  lands, 

Benjamin    Benedict,    a    Godly    man.  In  each  endeavor  of  a  passing  hour, 

John     Stodddard,    junior,      wise      in  To   do   its  best  to  add  new  zest  and 

work  and  plan,  power, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


61 


To  make  each  year  more  useful  than 

the    last, 
Uplifting   ever   by   a    worthy   past. 

The  sowers  and   the   reapers   are  as 

one, — 
Those     gathered      here     and     those 

gathered  home. 
The  sons  and  daughters  of  the  other 

shore 
Are   watching   for  our   father's  open 

door. 
As  we  bind  sheaves  that  ripen  on  the 

plain 
Because  they  scatter  wide  the  golden 

grain 
Inspiring    us    to    leave   a    legacy 
For  all  the  years  of  the  next  century. 

Benediction 
The    dove    of    heaven    descend    and 

rest 
Upon  our  sacred  shrine. 
Light,  life,  and  faith, — the  heavenly 

zest 
Through  all  the  century  manifest 
Within  its  walls  combine. 
Thus   with   our   house,   and   hope   of 

peace. 
A   Sabbath  comfort  prove 
Nor  Father,   Son,  nor  spirit  cease 
From    every    burden    to    release, 
And  fill  each  cup  with  love. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Sundries  and  Secret  Societies 

The  Masonic  Lodge  was  formed  in 
the  early  fifties.  It  increased  to 
about  sixty  members  and  continued 
for  many  years.  It  is  now  disband- 
ed. The  Sons  of  Temperance  at  one 
time  had  a  large  society  which 
flourished  for  a  long  time.  Cov- 
entryville  had  a  society  of  Good 
Templars  for  3  2  years  with  about  40 
members.  It  had  also  a  society  of 
Red  Men  with  97  members,  was  or- 
ganized in  189  5.  It  afterwards 
moved  to  Coventry  and  is  now  dis- 
banded. There  is  at  present  a  so- 
ciety of  the  National  Protective 
Legion.  The  Grangers  have  a  so- 
ciety here  which  has  flourished 
rapidly  in   two  years. 


Agricultural    Items, 

Chenango  county  ha^-^een  thfe 
banner  county  of  ..feffe  old  Empire 
State  for  many  y^^ars,  according  to 
the  number  of  a^cres,  in  producing 
butter  and  cheese.  Four  counties 
have  produced  more,  but  they  were 
all  larger  counties.  In  1855  this 
county  produced  3,990,564  pounds 
of  butter,  1,212,544  pounds  of 
cheese.  Coventry  came  within  one 
of  being  the  banner  town  of  the 
county  according  to  the  number  of 
cows.  Greene  came  first  with  125 
pounds  to  the  cow;  Coventry  second 
with  117  pounds  to  the  cow.  Cov- 
entry produced  that  year  250,270 
pounds  of  butter,  6,510  pounds  of 
cheese,  15,795  bushels  of  potatoes, 
31,330  bushels  of  apples,  936  bush- 
els of  winter  grain,  56,952  bushels 
of  spring  grain,  1,343  yards  of  do- 
mestic cloth.  It  had  534  horses, 
1,771  working  oxen  and  calves, 
cows,  2,272  sheep,  1,121 
It   harvested    5,606    tons   of 


2,140 

swine. 

hay. 


Sundries  in   1855 

Value  of  real  estate,  $464,715; 
personal  property  $43,450,  total 
$498,165.  Population,  male  and 
female  being  equal,  842  each.  Num- 
ber of  dwellings,  333;  number  of 
families,  357;  freeholders,  214; 
school  districts,  12;  number  of  chil- 
dren taught,  740,  average  to  a  dis- 
trict,   53    1-3. 

Coventry    Sol<liei-.s    that    Are    Dead. 
Soldiers  of  the  Revolution. 

Joseph  Fairchild,  Sr.,  who  served 
three  years.  Joseph  Foot,  father  of 
ApoUos  and  Alanson,  served  seven 
years  in  the  prime  of  his  life  and 
died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  100 
years,  three  months  and  twenty-one 
days.  Joseph  Pike  was  an  old  Rev- 
olutionary soldier.      Robert  Hawkins 


62 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


too  old  to  bear  arms  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, but  served  his  country  as  a 
guard  in  the  forts  of  the  patriots. 
Heth  Kelsey,  Oliver  Packard,  Re- 
cord Wilber,  David  Hodge,  Samuel 
Porter,  Benjamin  Jones,  Captain 
Jothan  Parker,  Burrige  Miles,  Cap- 
tain   Job    Yale,    Benjamin    Benedict. 

War  ot    1H12 

Tracy  Allen,  Roger  Edgerton,  Gil- 
bert D.  Phillips,  Ira  S.  Beardsley, 
Gurdon  Johnson,  Matthew  B.  Smith, 
Josiah  Beardsley. 

Civil  War 

Samuel  S.  Smith,  died  April  16, 
1867,  aged  48  years.  Martin  V. 
Shaw,  died  Dec.  2  7,  18  82,  aged  45 
years;  was  a  member  of  Co.  F.  First 
N.  Y.  Vet.  Calvary.  Rev.  Samuel  A. 
Stoddard  died  Nov.  24,  1886,  aged 
51  years;  was  a  member  of  Co.  K. 
24,  N.  Y.  Calvary.  Calvin  Wells, 
David  Snell,  Bronson  Beardsley, 
John  W.  WMlder,  Oscar  E.  Foot,  Oris 
Tubbs,  John  Spicer,  Charles  Finch, 
Hezekiah  Knickerbocker,  John  Shaf- 
fer,  Stuart  Wylie. 

Doubtless  there  are  many  others 
buried  in  the  cemeteries  unknown 
to  the  writer.  I  mention  those  that 
I  have  found.  During  the  Civil  war, 
from  1861  to  1865,  this  town  furn- 
ished 125  or  more  men  to  go  as 
soldiers.  Many  never  came  back, 
some  that  did  were  injured  for  life. 
The  first  man  to  enlist  was  Nelson 
Spencer.  His  brother  Franklin  fol- 
lowing him  under  the  first  call,  for 
three  months  volunteers.  Frank 
was  wounded  at  the  first  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  came  home,  got  well  and 
enlisted  again.  Later  in  the  war  his 
brother  Henry  went  also.  No  one 
can  realize  the  privations  and  suffer- 
ings of  a  soldier  in  time  of  war  but 
ihose  that  have  been  there  and  pass- 
ed   through    and     lived     to     return 


home,  that  know  its  costs  are  the 
most  thankful  for  peace  and  we 
should  all  unite  with  them  in 
thanksgiving  for  its  blessing.  The 
war  cost  this  town  many  thousands 
of  dollars  in  bounty  and  other  ex- 
penses, which  the  town  was  wise  to 
pay  all  up  in  a  few  years  by  taxes 
while    farm    produce    was   high. 

Courts 

In  the  early  days  of  this  town, 
from  1800  to  1340,  there  were  for 
some  reason  or  another  many  who 
thought  their  supposed  wrongs  could 
not  be  settled  only  by  law,  and  as 
the  tongue  was  an  unruly  evil  it 
set  many  of  them  going.  The  Jus- 
tices of  the  Peace  had  considerable 
business  to  do;  for  often  one  would 
sue  another  for  some  small  offence. 
The  justice  would  plead  with  them 
to  settle,  but  many  times  they  would 
not,  being  determined  to  bring  the 
case  to  the  court.  It  would  have  to 
be  a  jury  trial  or  else  a  justice  case 
where  three  justices  would  set  as 
judges  to  hear  the  evidence  and 
render  a  decision.  If  the  three 
agreed  all  the  better,  if  not  then  two 
must  agree  in  order  to  render  a 
verdict.  One  of  the  most  successful 
ones  whose  decisions  were  sustain- 
ed by  higher  courts  when  appealed 
to  was  Zenas  Hutchinson.  He  was 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  24  years 
and  the  best  read  lawyer  in  the 
town.  Many  cases  were  brought  be- 
fore him  and  tried.  In  most  cases 
his  decisions  were  final,  but  very 
few  appealing  from  it.  He  also  had 
a  large  amount  of  writing  to  do,  in 
drawing  deeds,  mortgages,  con- 
tracts, notes  and  other  business 
papers. 

In  drawing  contracts  for  leasing 
farms,  or  any  other  transaction,  they 
wished  to  express  in  it,  he  would 
tell    them    to    put    in    the     contract 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


63 


every  identical  thing  they  had  talked 
over  and  each  agree  to  it  in  order 
that  no  loophole  be  left  for  trouble 
to  jump  through.  Many  people  in 
those  times  did  not  have  ready 
money  to  pay  for  things  they  wanted 
so  thinking  a  better  pay  day  would 
come  they  gave  their  notes;  many 
of  these  were  left  with  him  to  col- 
lect, in  which  he  was  successful. 
But  as  times  have  grown  better  and 
people  have  more  money  less  of  such 
things  has  to  be  done  by  Justices 
of  the  Peace.  A  few  of  the  Justices 
of  the  Peace  of  this  town  were: 
Calvin  Blakeslee,  Daniel  Hayes,  Ro- 
meo Warren,  Bela  Seymour,  James 
S.  Parker,  Nelson  Hunt  and  Charles 
Pearsall.  These  all  having  finished 
their  work  here  passed  into  the  be- 
yond from  whence  no  traveler  re- 
turns. The  present  ones  are  A.  B. 
Minor,  D.  N.  Hunt,  J.  Kelley,  War- 
ren  Smith   and   F.   M.   Manning. 

.Schools 

Coventry  has  always  been  noted 
for  its  good  teachers  and  district 
schools,  and  in  the  early  days  some 
very  large  ones.  About  1815  it  is 
thought  that  Zenas  Hutchinson 
taught  at  Coventryville.  He  had  his 
mind  and  hands  full  as  all  teachers 
did  in  those  days,  there  being  a 
scarcity  of  books  and  but  few  alike 
many  of  the  scholars  had  to  recite 
alone,  which  made  extra  work  for  the 
teachers.  Then  they  had  to  take 
paper  similar  to  our  foolscap,  make 
it  into  writings  books,  rule  it,  make 
their  own  pens  out  of  goose  quills 
and  keep  them  in  repair.  Thus 
keeping  the  teachers  at  work  most 
of  the  time.  Many  times  when  need- 
ed they  heard  their  individual 
scholars  recite  before  and  after 
school  hours,  besides  having  to  do 
many  things  that  teachers  of  today 
know  nothing  about.      How  teachers 


managed  so  well  in  such  small 
school  houses  with  so  many  scholars 
is  a  mystery,  for  during  that  term 
he  had  101  scholars,  and  many  of 
them  were  grown  up  young  men 
and  young  women.  As  time  went  on 
children  began  to  decrease.  In  18  28 
Susan  Hungerford  taught  in  that 
district  one  term  when  many  of  the 
older  scholars  were  at  home,  but  73 
came  to  school.  Teachers'  wages  in 
those  days  were  magnificent,  they 
received  their  board  as  they  went 
from  place  to  place  around  the  dis- 
trict, and  for  five  and  one-half  days 
teaching  per  week,  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents,  the  highest  price 
paid  then  for  female  teachers.  She 
and  her  sister  Maria  both  taught 
several  years.  Mr.  Hutchinson  also 
taught  eighteen  years.  Some  of  the 
teachers  that  came  later:  Gideon 
Minor,  Harvey  Beardsley,  Lucius 
Manwarren,  James  S.  Parker,  Ezra 
Foot,  Charles  and  Ira  Fairchild, 
Albert  Griswold,  Napoleon  Elliott, 
John  P.  Thorp,  William,  John  and 
Ira  D.  Manning,  and  many  others 
both  in  the  east  and  west  part  of 
the  town  that  the  writer  does  not 
call   to   memory. 

Xew   York  and  Erie  Railroad 

This  company  was  organized  in 
July,  1833.  The  act  authorizing  the 
road  was  passed  April  24,  1832.  The 
first  preliminary  survey  was  made  in 
1832  by  Dewitt  Clinton,  Jr.,  by  or- 
der of  the  government.  In  183  4  the 
governor  appointed  Benjamin 

Wright  to  survey  the  route,  who  as- 
sisted by  James  Seymour  and  Chas. 
Elliott,  begun  the  survey  May  23, 
and  finished  the  same  year.  In  1835 
the  company  was  organized  and 
forty  miles  were  put  under  contract. 
In  183  6  the  comptroller  of  New 
York  State  was  directed  to  issue 
$3,000,000     State     stock    to    aid     in 


6j^ 


HISTORY  OF  THK  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


constructing  the  road.  In  183  6  the 
State  released  its  lein  on  the  road 
and  authorized  the  original  stock- 
holders to  surrender  two  shares  of 
old  stock  and  receive  one  share  of 
the  new.  April  8,1845,  a  branch 
was  allowed  to  be  built  from  Ches- 
ter to  Newburgh,  nineteen  miles. 
The  road  was  opened  as  follows: 
From  Pierpoint  to  Goshen,  Septem- 
ber 22,  1841;  to  Middletown,  June 
7,  1843;  to  Port  Jervis,  June  6, 
1848;  to  Binghamton;  December  28, 
1848;  to  Owego  June  1,  1849;  to 
Elmira  October,  1849;  to  Corning, 
January  1,  1850;  and  to  Dunkirk, 
May  14,  1851.  Distance  from  New 
York  to  Deposit  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  miles.  The  mention  of 
this  railroad  is  given  here  because 
it  has  connection  with  a  plank  road 
that  was  built  from  Deposit  through 
the  different  towns  to  Coventry.  De- 
posit being  the  nearest  railroad  sta- 
tion then  to  Coventry  and  the  other 
towns  along  the  road.  A  plank  road 
was  built  from  Deposit  to  Vallonia 
Springs,  half  way  to  Coventry,  and 
as  that  was  the  most  feasible  way  to 
get  to  the  railroad  from  Coventry, 
on  such  a  grade,  was  no  doubt  the 
reason  it  was  built.  A  company  was 
organized  consisting  of  the  leading 
business  men  and  farmers  along  the 
line  from  Vallonia  Springs  to  Cov- 
entry. It  was  called  a  stock  com- 
pany, each  one  taking  as  much  stock 
as  they  desired.  It  was  built  mostly 
in  the  year  1851  and  finished  in  the 
spring  of  1852,  the  last  plank  being 
laid  in  the  village  of  Coventry  and 
was  built  in  sections  by  contractors. 
It  has  been  told  to  the  writer  that  in 
order  to  have  it  go  where  it  does  by 
the  homes  of  Loren  and  Leonard 
Porter,  instead  of  over  the  route 
where  the  company  wished  it  to  be 
built,  they  and  their  families  would 


build  one-half  mile  of  the  road  with- 
out any  cost  to  the  company.  This 
they  did  although  it  was  not  known 
whether  the  company  furnished  the 
plank  or  not.  There  was  a  four  horse 
stage  that  run  each  way  and  met  the 
Deposit  stage  at  Vallonia  Springs, 
carrying  mail  and  passengers.  In 
1852  they  took  off  the  four-horse 
stage,  and  run  two  horses  for  three 
years,  th2n  a  one  horse  stage  for 
four  years.  It  was  used  as  a  toll 
road  for  seven  or  more  years.  Owing 
to  the  cost  of  repairs  amounting  to 
more  than  the  tolls,  it  was  sold  to 
the  towns  for  $3  00,  who  removed 
the  plank  and  made  a  turnpike  road 
of  it.  Before  the  railroad  was  built 
to  Deposit  all  of  the  merchants' 
goods  had  to  be  drawn  from  Catskill 
by  teams  or  shipped  up  the  Hudson 
river  to  Albany,  thence  on  the  York 
and  Erie  canal  to  Utica,  thence 
down  the  Chenango  valley  canal  to 
Greene,  then  hauled  to  Coventry  by 
teams.  All  the  butter,  cheese,  pork, 
beef,  wool  and  all  other  farm  pro- 
duce had  to  be  shipped  away  with 
the  same  conveyance,  which  would 
now  be   called  slow   freight. 

Town  Fair 

The  first  town  fair  ever  held  in 
Chenango  county  was  held  in  the 
village  of  Coventry  in  the  autumn 
of  1855.  The  most  energetic  atid 
successful  people  of  the  town  believ- 
ed it  would  be  nice  and  pleasant  to 
bring  together  the  produce  of  the 
farm  and  show  each  other,  free  of 
cost,  the  things  they  were  able  to 
produce  here  in  Coventry.  Accord- 
ingly on  a  certain  day  they  came 
together  and  the  writer  well  remem- 
bers it.  It  was  a  beautiful  Autumn 
day  in  October,  bringing  with  them 
corn  husked  and  on  the  stalk,  grain 
threshed  and  in  the  bundle,  vegeta- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


65 


bles  of  many  kinds,  horses,  oxen, 
hogs,  sheep,  poultry,  etc.  The  ladies 
also  bringing  with  them  their  work. 
It  was  an  open  fair  held  on  the 
church  green  west  and  south  of  the 
Baptist  church.  The  stock  was 
shown  in  a  lot  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road.  The  people  were  so  well 
pleased  with  their  pleasant  and 
profitable  gathering  that  they  de- 
cided to  hold  another  fair  the  next 
year,  1856,  at  Coventryville,  which 
they  did  with  a  like  enjoyable  oc- 
casion, being  more  encouraged  than 
ever  to  let  people  see  what  they 
could  raise.  It  was  said  that  Charles 
Fairchild  took  the  first  premium  on 
his  steers,  they  being  the  best  broke. 
The  next  year,  1857,  an  agricultural 
society  was  organized.  Wm.  Kales 
was  president.  Merit  S.  Parker  was 
secretary  and  Lucius  Manwarring 
marshal.  The  writer  fails  to  recall 
the  names  of  the  other  officers.  In 
the  autumn  of  1857,  the  society 
leased  a  number  of  acres  of  land  of 
Luman  Miles,  just  south  of  the 
school  house  in  the  south  west  of 
the  village.  Around  this  they  built 
a  board  fence.  Mr.  Dort  came  from 
Harpursville  with  his  pile  driver  and 
drove  the  chestnut  posts.  On  these 
were  spiked  2  by  4  pieces  running 
lengthwise  and  then  boards  eight 
feet  high  were  nailed  thereto.  It 
made  a  durable  fence  which  with- 
stood the  weather  for  over  20  years. 
The  ground  was  prepared,  a  fioral 
hall  was  built,  pens  were  made  for 
stock,  a  driving  track  was  made  and 
eating  stands  were  put  up  where  the 
hungry  public  could  be  fed.  The 
fair  that  year  was  a  very  large  one 
for  the  times,  farmers  and  others 
taking  a  lively  interest  therein. 
People  came  from  far  and  near  to 
enjoy  a  good  time  and  they  had  it. 
That   year   the   ladies  had   a   driving 


contest  with  one  and  two  horses. 
Mrs.  Thomas  Tifft  took  the  first  on 
driving  two  horses;  Mrs.  Fred  Bun- 
nell first,  and  Eunice  Parker  second, 
on  single  horse.  Fred  Bunnell  also 
drove  "Morgan  Tiger"  and  exhibited, 
him  as  an  extra  broke  horse.  The 
fair  was  held  after  this  for  several 
years,  and  was  called  the  best  town 
fair  in  the  county,  with  varying 
scenes  of  interest  and  enjoyment  up 
to  1864,  when  it  closed.  One  year 
the  Sons  of  Malta  appeared,  about 
4  0  men  on  horseback,  masked  and 
dressed  in  odd  costumes.  They  rode 
around  the  track  followed  by  An- 
drew Rockwell  masked  and  dressed 
like  an  Indian  with  colored  feathers 
on  his  head.  •  He  rode  on  a  donkey 
and  gave  exhibitions,  showing  how 
the  Indians  jump  on  and  off  their 
ponies  and  shoot  game  with  their 
bows  and  arrows.  The  company 
also  publicly  initiated  one  of  their 
members  on  a  platform.  From  that 
descending  into  a  tub  of  water  was 
an  inclined  plank.  Blindfolded  they 
pushed  the  candidate  down  the  in- 
cline and  he  went  splashing  into  the 
water,  which  furnished  lots  of  fun 
for  the  spectators.  Another  year 
there  was  a  drawing  contest  to  see 
whose  oxen  could  draw  the  most. 
Three  yoke,  one  owned  by  Ben  Foot, 
one  by  Scoville  Parker,  and  another 
by  Bela  Seymour,  were  hitched  to  a 
stone  boat  loaded  with  stone.  Mr. 
Seymour's  oxen  were  light,  Mr.  Par- 
ker's weighed  over  3,000  pounds, 
and  Mr.  Foot's  2,800.  Foot's  oxen 
took  the  first  prize.  The  writer  re- 
members seeing  the  contest.  An- 
other year  they  had  a  walking  match 
and  a  yellow  horse  owned  by  Charles 
Hinman  took  the  first  prize.  It  is 
believed  that  Frank  Griswold's  horse 
took  second.  During  some  of  the 
years  there  were  contests  of  the  best 


v^ 


66 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


broke  steers.  Charles  Fairchild  had 
some  there  in  1857  which  were  well 
broken,  but  did  not  receive  the  first 
prize  because  George  Juliand,  had 
two  pair  there  that  were  broken  and 
driven  by  Hiram  Fowler.  They  were 
large,  well  matched,  handsome  and 
well  broke  and  they  of  course  took 
first  prize.  Farmers  in  those  days 
were  raising  many  Devonshire  cat- 
tle, red  beauties  they  were,  and 
many  of  them  were  seen  at  the  fairs, 
from  calves  to  cows  and  oxen.  There 
were  some  common  grade  and  some 
short  horned  Durham  cattle  exhibit- 
ed also.  There  were  many  exhibits 
of  sheep  and  lambs,  long  wooled 
ones  took  the  lead.  In  August,  1860, 
John  S.  Tarbell,  proprietor  of  the 
Franklin  house,  Montrose,  Pa.,  sent 
a  horse  to  Andrew  Rockwell  and 
Douglas  to  break  it  of  the  habit  of 
switching  and  kicking  when  hitched 
to  a  wagon.  In  sixteen  days  from 
the  time  they  took  him  they  ex- 
hibited him  before  the  Susquehanna 
County  Agricultural  society  hitched 
to  a  sulky,  also  at  the  Pennsylvania 
State  fair  and  New  York  State  fair, 
as  well  as  at  several  county  fairs 
during  the  fall  of  1860.  Only  a  few 
of  the  many  incidents  of  these  fairs 
have  been  given,  but  we  will  call 
them  ended  and  say  a  few  words 
about  Messrs.  Rockwell  and  Hurl- 
burt,  it  being  a  most  fitting  place. 
Soon  after  they  gave  their  horse 
exhibits  here  and  at  the  fairs  in 
1860,  they  bought  two  more  horses, 
one  named  "Star,"  the  other  a  milk 
white  hore  named  "Mazeppa,"  and 
broke  them  the  same  as  they  did 
the  first  one.  With  these  and  a  few 
men  they  started  on  the  road  travel- 
ing from  place  to  place  giving  a 
school  at  each  place.  They  taught 
the  young  men  how  to  break  colts  to 
drive  and  horses  of  their  bad  habits. 


They  gave  to  each  one  their  book, 
"A  Practical  Treatise  on  Horse 
Breaking"  and  taught  them  private- 
ly how  to  do  it  for  which  they  re- 
ceived from  each  student  $5.  Hobbs 
Brothers  of  Nineveh  made  them  a 
wagon  for  which  they  received  a 
large  price,  in  which  they  made  their 
trips.  In  1868,  they  left  their  home 
for  the  last  time  and  started  on  their 
western  journey  giving  schools  from 
here  to  California.  Wishing  to  go 
farther  they  took  passage  on  an 
ocean  steamer  for  either  Oregon  or 
Washington.  During  the  voyage  the 
ship  was  struck  by  another  ship  and 
sunk  with  all  on  board.  The  Pacific 
was  their  tomb  in  which  they  were 
quietly  layed  to  rest;  there  to  peace- 
fully sleep  till  the  resurrection 
morn, 

Wai-  of   the   llebcllion 

At  a  special  town  meeting,  held 
September  5,  1862,  131  votes  were 
cast  for  and  30  against  a  proposi- 
tion to  raise  by  tax  $1,5  00  to  pay  to 
each  of  thirty  volunteers  the  sum  of 
$50  as  a  bounty  for  enlisting,  the 
men  so  enlisted  to  apply  on  the 
quota  of  the  town  under  the  call 
for  600,000  men.  March  4,  1863 
the  board  of  town  auditors  issued 
three  bonds  for  this  amount  and  the; 
expense  connected  therewith,  the 
first  to  Apollos  Foot  for  $550,  at  six 
per  cent.,  payable  January  1,  1864; 
the  second  to  R.  Chandler,  for  $546. 
24  at  six  per  cent. ,$246. 24  payable 
January  1,  1864,  $300  payable  Jan. 
1,  1865,  and  the  third  to  T.  D.  Por- 
ter, for  $450,  at  six  per  cent.,  pay- 
able Jan.  1,  18  65.  At  a  special 
meeting  Jan.  2,  1864,  49  votes  were 
cast  for  and  4  against  a  resolution 
to  pay  $3  23  to  each  person  enlisted 
and  applied  on  the  quota  of  the  town 
(21    men)    under    the    call    for    300.- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


67 


000  men.  E.  A.  Phillips,  James  S. 
Parker  and  Daniel  Beecher  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  draft  the 
necessary  papers  and  report  the 
most  feasible  way  of  obtaining  the 
money.  On  the  recommendation  of 
the  committee  the  officers  consisting 
of  the  board  of  town  auditors  Vi^ere 
instructed  to  issue  and  sell  the 
bonds,  in  the  sums  of  .$5  0  to  $500. 
James  M.  Phillips  and  S.  P.  Allis 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  act 
with  the  board.  To  carry  out  pro- 
visions of  this  resolution  bonds  bear- 
ing seven  per  cent  interest  were  is- 
sued as  follows: 
17    four    years'     bonds     $100 

each  $1,700    00 

17    three    years'    bonds    $100 

each  1,700    00 

16     two     years'     bonds     $100 

each  1,600    00 

2  years'  bonds  $50  10000 

15  one  year  bonds  $100        1,500    00 
4   one  year  bonds   $50  200    00 


$6,800    00 
71    revenue    stamps     at     10c 

each  7    10 


$6,807  10 
At  a  special  meeting  held  April 
11,  1864,  it  was  decided  by  a  vote 
of  3  2  to  4  to  authorize  the  board  to 
pay  such  sums  as  they  deemed  nec- 
essary, not  to  exceed  $5  00  each  to 
the  requisite  number  of  volunteers 
to  fill  the  quota  of  the  town  under 
the  call  for  200,000  men;  and  on 
that  day  the  board  issued  bonds 
numbered  from  7  2  to  78  both  in- 
clusive amounting  to  $2,200,  and 
April  25,  1864,  a  like  number  from 
79  to  85  in  like  amount  bearing  sev- 
en per  cent  interest  and  payable 
January  1,  1865.  At  a  special  meet- 
ing held  August  2,  1864,  127  votes 
were  cast  for  and  38  against  a  reso- 


lution authorizing  the  board  to  pay 
such  sums  as  they  deemed  neces- 
sary, not  to  exceed  $500  to  each 
volunteeer  credited  on  the  quota  of 
the  town  under  the  call  for  500,000 
men,  and  the  same  provision  was 
extended  to  persons  who  might  be 
drafted  under  the  call.  At  a  special 
meeting  held  August  2  2,  1864,  it 
was  resolved  to  extend  the  same 
provision  to  persons  furnishing  sub- 
stitutes under  that  call.  At  a  spe- 
cial meeting  held  Sept.  10,  1864,  it 
was  resolved  by  a  vote  of  128  to  24. 
to  so  amend  the  latter  resolution  as 
to  pay  to  each  person  furnishing  an 
acceptable  substitute  the  sum  act- 
ually paid  to  such  substitute  deduct- 
ing all  bounties  received  by  the  prin- 
cipal from  the  government  not  to 
exceed  $1,000;  to  authorize  the 
board,  if  they  in  their  judgment 
deemed  necessary  to  pay,  not  to  ex- 
ceed $1,000,  to  each  volunteer  re- 
quired to  fill  the  quota  under  that 
call;  and  to  receive  the  resolution 
to  pay  $500  to  drafted  men.  Pur- 
suant to  these  resolutions  the  board 
issued  Aug.  29,  1864,  twelve  bonds, 
amounting  to  $3,150  payable  Jan.  1, 
1865;  and  Sept.  19,  1864,  54  bonds 
amounting  to  $24,490,  payable  $10,- 
780,  in  1865,  $11,410  in  1866, 
$1,200  in  1867,  and  $1,100  in  1868. 
At  •  special  meeting  held  Dec.  31, 
1864,  it  was  resolved  by  a  vote  of 
131  to  36  to  pay  each  volunteer 
credited  on  the  quota  of  the  town 
under  the  call  for  300,000  men  a 
sum  not  to  exceed  $600  for  one 
year's  men;  $800  for  two  years' 
men,  and  $1,0  00  for  three  years' 
men.  The  same  provision  was  ex- 
tended to  persons  furnishing  sub- 
stitutes, but  they  were  in  no  case  to 
be  paid  a  greater  sum  than  was 
actually  paid  for  such  substitute. 
Pursuant    to    this    resolution    bonds 


68 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


were  issued  as  follows:  January  9, 
1865,  bonds  67  to  78,  both  inclusive, 
amounting  to  $3,150,  payable,  $900 
in  1866,  $1,350,  in  1867,  and  $900 
in  1868;  January  18,  1865,  bonds 
was  79  to  96,  both  inclusive, 
amounting  to  $7,638.50,  payable 
$1,600  in  1866,  $2,138.50;  in  1867, 
$2,700;  in  1868,  and  $1,200  in  1869. 
January  26,  1865,  bonds  was  97  to 
109,  both  inclusive,  amounting  to 
$6,350,  payable  $1,050  in  1866; 
$4,800  in  1867  and  $500  in  1868; 
and  Feb.  14,  1865,  bonds  was  110 
to  114,  both  inclusive,  amounting  lo 
$1,467.50,  payable  $1,300  in  1867 
and  $167.50  in  1866.  As  we  have 
just  been  writing  about  the  Civil  war 
we  think  it  would  be  very  appro- 
priate to  put  in  a  poem  written  by 
Mrs.  Cordelia  Beardsley  Wilder,  in 
the  time  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 

Say,  .Must  Our  Country  Perish? 

Say,    must   our   country    perish 

With  all  that's  true  and  brave, 
The   arm    of    right    and    freedom. 

Be  powerless  to  save? 
Must  we  fling  down  our  banner. 

To    worthless   traitors'   yield? 
Our  heroes  lie   unhonored 

Upon  the  battlefield? 

Hark!  Hark!  There  comes  an  answer. 

That's    pealing    loud   and    long; 
We  go  to  join  our  brothers 

Three   hundred   thousand   strong. 
We  yet  will  save  our  country. 

We  know  we  can,   we  must; 
We'll  take  the  traitors'  banner, 

And  trail  it  in  the  dust. 

'Twill   be  a  tearful  parting 

To  bid  loved  ones  adieu 
P.ut  they  will  bravely  cheer  us 

And  tell  us  to  be  true. 
Our  country  shall  not  perish 

Our  hopes  shall  not  be  crushed, 
For  God  will  surely  bless  us, 

And  aid  the  cause  that's  just. 
Oh,  'tis  a  fearful  struggle, 

A  nation's  blood  to  spill, 
lUit   the   Union,   now,   forever!  — 

Shall  be  our  motto  still. 
Oh,  yes!    We'll  surely  conquer 


The  traitors;    they  must  yield, 
And    we    will    bear   in    triumph 
Our  banner  from  the  field. 

CHAPTER  Vni 

Personal       History.  The       Reale 

Family 

William  Beale  came  from  Lester- 
shire,  P^ngland,  in  1841  and  settled 
at  Gilbertsville,  later  removed  to 
Coventry  and  settled  in  the  south 
western  part  of  the  town.  He  had 
five  sons  and  three  daughters.  Ann 
Beale  married  John  Bawling  of  But- 
ternuts. Joseph  Beale  married 
Anna  Maria  Hancock,  of  Syracuse; 
had  eight  children.  Grace  married 
Abel  Gipson  of  Mt.  Upton;  had  one 
son.  Jennie  E.  married  Stephen 
Fletcher  of  East  Guilford.  Alice  F. 
married  John  A.  Parker  of  Guil- 
ford; had  two  daughters.  Edgar  L. 
married  Lena  Phelps  of  Unadilla; 
had  one  son.  Gertrude  L.  married 
David  Sibley  of  Butternuts;  had  one 
son.  Minnie  E.  married  Clayton 
Taylor  of  Sidney.  Frederick  J.  mar- 
ried Laura  Puller  of  Owego;  had 
two  sons  and  one  daughter.  Lillian 
N.  married  Joseph  Hyett  of  Guil- 
ford; had  four  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. William  married  Emma  Jen- 
kins of  Butternuts.  John  marri?d 
Margaret  Webb  of  Butternuts;  had 
three  daughters.  Sarah  married 
William  North  of  Silver  Lake,  Pa.;  "^ 
had  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 

John  Beale  married  Maryette 
Webb  of  Butternuts,  N.  Y.  Their 
children  were  Rosamond,  who  mar- 
ried Henry  Packard  of  Coventry, 
now  living  in  Greene;  has  one 
daughter.  Carrie,  married  Russel 
Cookingham  of  Poughkeepsie;  had 
one  son.  Mary  married  Vernall 
Arnold.  Elizabeth  married  Isaac 
Hancock  of  Syracuse;  had  three  sons 
and    three   daughters.      George   Han- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


69 


cock  married  Mary  Fletcher  of  Bing- 
hamton.  Mary  married  Martin 
Pearsall.  Edward  C.  married  Ger- 
trude Weller.  Joshua  Beale  mar- 
ried Sarah  Hurlburt  of  Harpursville. 
James  Beale  married  Lucretia  Gary. 
Mrs.  Jennie  Fletcher  is  the  only 
representative  of  the  Beale  family 
now  living  in  the  town  of  Coventry. 
Kelly  Family 
John  Jacob  Kelly  was  born  in 
Laiching,  Withingburg,  Germany, 
Feb.  4,  1808.  His  wife»  Rosma  Has- 
ken,  was  born  Sept.  14,  1802.  Mr. 
Kelly  was  a  weaver  by  trade.  His 
three  children  were  all  born  in  Ger- 
many. In  1852  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  in  1854  his  family  came, 
consisting  of  his  wife,  two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son.  Maria,  who  was 
seventeen  years  old;  Anna,  fourteen 
years,  and  John  nine  years  of  age. 
They  settled  in  Coventry  and  Mr. 
Kelly  worked  for  Phillips  and  Hoyt 
as  long  as  he  lived.  His  death  oc- 
curred Sept.  9,  1862,  at  the  age  of 
54  years.  His  wife  died  Aug.  5, 
1887,  aged  85.  Maria  married 
George  Mangold  in  1861,  who  came 
from  Germany  with  the  Kellys;  they 
had  one  son,  John  Henry,  who  is 
now  living  in  Coventry.  He  mar- 
ried Adelaide  Connelly  Eells,  and 
had  one  son,  Carl,  who  married  Vir- 
ginia Van  Woert  of  Coventry  and 
lives  in  Binghamton;  also  one 
daughter  who  died  when  about  two 
years  old.  Mr.  Mangold  worked  for 
James  Phillips  for  a  good  many 
years  and  bought  a  farm  and  farmed 
it  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
died  in  1907,  aged  72  years.  His 
wife  is  still  living,  and  is  quite 
v/ell  and  in  her  77th  year.  Anna 
married  William  Seeley;  their  chil- 
dren are  Charles,  who  married  Miss 
Cora  Deland;  children,  two  sons, 
Frank  and  Carl.      Ray  married  Miss 


Grace  Palmer;  had  two  sons,  and 
Ernest,  who  married  Miss  Nina  Hall 
and  had  one  child.  John  Kelly  mar- 
ried Miss  Laura  Stiles  of  Coventry 
in  1869,  and  had  one  son.  Prank, 
who  married  Miss  Ada  Tifft,  and  has 
one  daughter.  Laura  married  Fred- 
erick Porter,  and  had  one  son  and 
one  daughter. 
John  Kelly  began  clerking  in  the 
store  of  Phillips  &  Hoyt  when  quite 
a  small  boy,  and  by  being  saving 
and  industrious  he  began  to  save 
some  money.  He  clerked  it  for  them 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Phillips,  and 
then  he  went  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Hoyt,  the  firm  being  Hoyt  &  Kelly, 
until  he  was  unable  to  do  business. 
After  Mr.  Hoyt  resigned  he  took  his 
son  Frank  in  company  with  him, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Kelly  &  Son, 
and  the  sign  hangs  there  to  this  day. 
He  has  been  one  of  the  leading  men 
in  the  town  for  a  good  many  years. 
He  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  16  years,  and  town  clerk  several 
terms.  He  has  been  very  promi- 
nent in  the  Second  Congregational 
church. 

Eells  Family 

Edward  Eells,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Hannah  Hanford  Eells,  was  born 
in,  lA^alton,  Delaware  county,  May 
20,  1828.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  that  place  and 
when  a  young  man  he  went  to  De- 
posit and  learned  the  tinner's  trade. 
In  1852  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Juliette  Bennett,  and  had  one 
child,  Delos  Rockwell.  In  October, 
1853.  his  wife  died.  May  23,  1856, 
he  was  again  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emily  McCall.  She  was 
born  March  23,  1835;  their  children 
v/ere  Francis  Isabel,  Granville  Mc- 
Call, Adelaide  Connelly,  Benjamin 
Marvin.      Edward      Hanford,      Emily 


70 


HISTORY  OF  TFIE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


Juliette,  Junius  Baird,  Georgie  Phil- 
lips, Clarence,  Sophronia  Sisson.  In 
1859  he  moved  to  Coventry,  worked 
at  his  trade  for  Phillips  &  Hoyt  till 
within  a  year  or  two  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1894,  dying  in 
the  asylum. 

Chandler  Family 

Rufus    Chandler,    son    of     Deacon 

Henry    and    Penelope     Chandler     of 

Brattleboro,    Vt.,    who    came    to    this 

-,     country   at  an   early   date,    was   born 

ICjf-  April  11,  r8T^8.  His  parents  being 
poor  and  having  a  large  family  he 
was  bound  out  till  he  was  twenty- 
one,  to  a  man  who  went  to  one  of 
the  southern  States,  I  think  it  was 
Virginia,  and  he  went  with  him. 
His  education  was  acquired  at  the 
common  schools  which  were  not  as 
good  then  as  now  and  the  people  did 
not  think  as  much  about  keeping 
their  children  in  school  in  those  days 
as  they  did  to  keep  them  to  work. 
When  he  was  twenty-one  the  man 
gave  him  a  pair  of  horses,  wagon 
and  harness,  and  a  little  money  to 
bear  his  expenses  to  come  to  Cov- 
entry. On  his  way  north  he  traded 
the  two  horses  for  three,  and  if  my 
memory  serves  me  right  got  some 
boot  money,  and  from  that  on  he 
was  always  speculating  in  horses 
and  buying  cattle  and  driving  them 
to  Orange  county.  He  was  a  great 
drover  in  his  day.  He  also  engaged 
quite  extensively  in  farming,  own- 
ing several  farms.  He  was  quite 
prominent  in  public  affairs  having 
been  supervisor  several  times,  and 
other  offices  he  has  filled  in  the 
town.  He  represented  this  district 
in  the  Assembly  in  1858,  so  history 
says,  but  I  think  there  must  be  a 
mistake  in  t,he  date.  I  '^  know  he 
was  Assemblyman,  I  can  remember 
hack  to   1853   and  I  can't   remember 


it.  He  was  a  sharp  shrewd  business 
man  and  acquired  quite  a  large  for- 
tune. In  the  latter  part  of  his  busi- 
ness life  he  was  associated  with  his 
son-in-law,  James  M.  Phillips,  and 
Augustus  Martin  in  the  drover's 
business.  They  went  to  Ohio  to  buy 
cattle  and  drove  them  to  Orange 
county,  keeping  several  men  to  work 
driving  cattle.  In  those  days  you 
would  see  large  droves  of  cattle, 
some  two  or  three  hundred  in  a 
drove,  and  sheep  by  the  thousands 
going  through  Coventry  every  week 
or  two.  He  also  was  connected  with 
Zerah  Spencer  and  William  Church 
in  the  mercantile  business,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  died  Feb.  5,  1832,  aged 
3  3  years;  about  which  time  the  busi- 
ness was  discontinued.  In  1834  he 
resumed  business  with  G.  D.  Phil- 
lips, to  whom  after  about  a  year  he 
sold  his  interest.  History  says  he 
was  again  in  the  mercantile  business 
some  two  years  with  Romeo  Warren 
and  William  Church  but  it  don't  say 
whether  it  was  before  or  after  he 
was  in  company  with  Mr.  Phillips. 
He  was  a  strong  pillar  in  the  Second 
Congregational  church  of  Coventry. 
On  June  10,  1822,  he  was  united  in 
the  holy  bonds  of  wedlock  with  Miss 
Laura  Benedict,  daughter  of  Ira  and 
Anabrit  Packard  Benedict,  born 
March  4,  1799.  They  lived  together 
5  6  years  and  had  one  daughter,  Ly- 
dia  M.,  born  Aug.  28,  1827,  who 
married  James  M.  Phillips.  I  for- 
got to  say  that  Mr.  Chandler  was 
.Colonel  in  the  militia  for  a  number 
of  years.  Lydia  M.  Phillips,  wife  of 
James  M.  Phillips,  and  daughter  of 
Rufus,  and  Laura  Chandler,  died 
April  23,  1874,  aged  47  years.  Laura 
Chandler,  wife  of  Rufus  Chandler, 
died  July  12,  1879,  aged  80  years. 
Rufus  Chandler  died  Dec.  28,  1883, 
aged   85   years.      Loisa  M.,   daughter 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVENTRY 


71 


of  James  M  .and  Lydia  M.  Chandler 
Phillips,  was  born  Jan.  12,  1862; 
married  Julius  Doerner;  died  April 
19,  1887.  James  M.  Phillips  died 
Dec.    18,    1900,  aged   77  years. 

A     poem     written     by     the     late 
Chauncey  S.  Williams. 

Concluding  Words 

In   the  years  of  the  past  the  forest 
came   to   stay, 
God   in   his   wisdom   planted   them 
here  and  there; 
For  a  boom  and  a  blessing  to  man  in 
his   day, 
With   rivers,   creeks  and   showers, 
He  watered  them  with  care. 

High  were  their  heads,  to  receive  the 
kiss  of  the  sun. 
The  home  of  the  deer,  the  mink, 
the  fox  and  the  hare; 
Their  trunks  so  long  and  great,  had 
a  century  outgrown 
The  climbing  sport  of  the  squirrel, 
the    wildcat;    panther,    and    the 
bear. 

The  red  man  came  to  dwell  beneath 
their  shade. 
To  kill  his  game  with  bow  and  ar- 
row,    and      fish     in     lake     and 
stream. 
He  laid  it  not,   'twas  not  his  to  use 
ax  or  spade, 
But   to   pitch    his    tepee    where   he 
could  best  lay  and  dream. 

In  time  the  pioneers,  our  forefathers, 
came   this  way. 
From    the    forest    for   himself  and 
his  kin  a  home  to  hew; 
A  large  family  of  children  he  raised 
in  his  day. 
Brave  and  strong  to  help  him  live 
in  this  country  so  new. 

The     woodman     stood     beneath     the 
giant  red  beach  tree 
Whose  broad  and  leafy  head  stood 
fifteen   times  above  his  own; 
Said    he,    you    give    me    no    bread,    I 
cannot  live  on  thee 
Though   ten  cords  of  wood  you've 
grown. 

Next    he    stood    by    the  ^  sweet     and 
shady  maple  tree. 
Whose   head   so   green   and   bright 
rose  high,  to  greet  the  morning 
light; 


Said  he,  I  know  the  sugar  you  grow; 
is   sweet    and    delicious    for   me 
to   eat. 
But   I    cannot   wait,    nature's   gait 
for  the  sap  to  run. 

And   thus  he  said   to   the  oak,   elm, 
ash  and  many  other  trees, 
Even  if  later  on  you  could  stand 
you'd   give  us  thousands  in  cash; 
I'll  cut  you  down,  you  must  go  into 
the  firey  seas. 
For  none  of  you,  now,  give  us  to 
eat  as  much  even  as  a  plate  of 
hash. 

So   acres   of   fallen   trees   on   earth's 
bosom  lay  at  rest. 
In    the    even    tide,    torch    was    ap- 
plied, changing  night  to  day; 
The    blaze    was    grand,    terrific    and 
sublime,   but   fearful   at  best. 
Ashes   only    were    left,    of   the    re- 
mains, that  the  forest  had  pass- 
ed  away. 

The    red    man,    the    Indian,     in     his 

strength    and    glory,    where    oh, 

where  is  he? 
From    the    fish    in    the    brook,    the 

deer  in  the  chase,  he  has  gone 

to  stay; 
In  forest  or  lake,  on  hill  or  dale,  no 

more  can  we  see  him. 
His    nation     is    gone,     weak    and 

strong,    he   has   passed   away. 

Many     long,     long     years     did     our 
grandparents   work  and  sing, 
To    help   and    bless   their    children 
in  their  day. 
They  heard  the  sweet  voices  in  song 
and  laughter  ring. 
They    promised    God    with    humble 
hearts,      and      silently      passed 
away. 

Our    parents,    when    their    work    was 
done  followed  on. 
The   blessed    book   they   taught   us 
in  their  own  sweet  way, 
That    we    might    rightly     live     after 
they  were  gone  above. 
Soon    they    heard    the    call,    come 
home,  and  meekly  passed  away. 

A    Few    Incidents   and    Anecdotes    of 
the  Early  Settlers 

I  will  give  you  one  that  happened 
in  the  Hoyt  family  at  Walton,  and 
what    happened    in    one    part    of    the 


72 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


country  when  it  was  new  is  equiva- 
lent to  the  other.  We  speak  of  this 
that  happened  in  the  Hoyt  family 
because  two  of  the  sons  came  here 
when  young  men  and  spent  their 
lives  here  and  some  of  their  sons 
did,  the  Rev.  John  B.  Hoyt,  pastor 
of  the  Second  Congregational  church 
of  Coventry  for  thirty  years,  and 
Thaddeus  Hoyt,  Jr.  Many  were  the 
privations,  hardships,  and  suffer- 
ings that  in  the  first  year  or  two 
the  pioneers  were  called  to  pass 
through.  Provision  was  scarce,  it 
could  not  be  procured.  If  grain  was 
obtained  there  was  no  mill  to  grind 
it.  Our  father  was  want  to  relate  a 
deed  that  will  seem  incredible  to 
this  generation.  He  said  they  had 
lived  on  potato  bread  till  they  had 
become  cloyed  of  it  and  their  supply 
of  this  was  nearly  exhausted.  He 
had  a  bushel  of  wheat,  but  there  was 
no  mill  in  all  the  region.  One  morn- 
ing he  slung  it  across  his  back  and 
traveled  with  it  nearly  thirty  miles 
lo  mill.  I  think  it  must  have  been 
near  where  the  village  of  Hobart 
now  stands,  got  it  ground  and  the 
next  day  returned  with  it  in  the 
same  manner.  If,  as  Col.  Chandler 
of  Coventry  remarked,  the  one 
whom  we  have  just  been  writing 
about,  when  flour  was  very  high,  ten 
or  twelve  dollars  a  barrel,  bread 
tasted  much  sweeter  than  when  it 
was  cheap, — the  bread  from  this 
flour  must  have  been  sweet  indeed. 
lUit  not  only  was  it  hard  to  procure 
bread  itself,  meat  was  also  scarce. 
They  had  none  but  wild  game.  Our 
father  has  related  an  incident  which 
he  always  regarded  as  a  special 
providential  interposition.  He  had 
been  over  to  Franklin  and  as  he  was 
returning,  coming  up  the  west  hill, 
all  at  once  he  heard  his  little  dog  on 
ahead  making  a  great  ado,  barking 


at  the  highest  pitch  of  his  voice. 
Coming  up  to  the  spot  he  saw  he 
was  holding  at  bay  an  enormous 
elk  standing  on  a  high  ledge  of 
rocks.  He  hurried  home  for  his 
gun  and  then  back  where  he  found 
the  dog  and  elk  in  the  same  position 
he  had  left  them.  Taking  aim  the 
elk  fell  at  the  first  fire.  It  was  very 
fat  and  supplied  the  families  in  the 
settlement  with  savory  meat  for  sev- 
eral  months. 

In  the  early  settlement  the  in- 
habitants w^ere  much  annoyed  by 
wild  beasts.  Their  sheep  had  to  be 
carefully  guarded  by  day  and  folded 
at  night.  I  will  relate  a  bear  story 
which  I  have  heard  our  father  re- 
hearse with  no  small  zest.  As  he 
and  uncle  Silas  Benedict  were  at 
work  one  afternoon  towards  evening, 
a  bear  came  out  of  the  west  woods 
Into  the  clearing,  and  descrying 
them  slowly  returned.  They  went  to 
the  house,  loaded  their  guns  and 
started  in  pursuit  and  discovered 
bruin  standing  on  a  bank  beyond  a 
small  stream.  They  silently  made 
their  way  to  an  old  log  some  rods 
distant,  resting  their  guns  across  the 
log  they  agreed  at  a  given  signal 
both  to  fire  together.  They  fired 
and  the  bear  fell.  Uncle  Silas  im- 
mediately exclaimed,  "I  have  put 
one  ball  through  him,  sure  am  I  of 
that!"  Father  said  they  had  better 
load  again  before  they  went  up  to 
him  for  they  might  meet  with  re- 
sistance. In  reloading  it  was  found 
Uncle  Silas  gun  had  only  flashed  in 
the  pan,  the  charge  was  all  in.  He 
did  not  hear  the  last  of  killing  the 
bear    for   many    months. 

Not  only  bears,  but  panthers,  in 
some  instances,  made  their  appear- 
ance. As  Simeon  Hoyt,  who  lived 
where  Wm.  Hanford  now  does,  went 
out  just  at  dusk  to  take  care  of  his 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


73 


stock,  he  saw  a  huge  panther  in  or 
near  his  yard.  He  had  no  weapon 
with  him,  but  being  a  man  of  cour- 
age he  plucked  a  stake  from  his  ox 
sled  and  drove  the  beast  away,  which 
ascended  a  high  stub  or  dry  tree. 
He  took  care  of  his  cattle  then  went 
to  the  house,  got  his  gun  and  came 
back,  but  the  animal  was  gone  and  it 
was  too  late  to  pursue  him.  The 
next  morning  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood turned  out  with  horns,  guns, 
and  axes  and  tracked  him  in  various 
directions,  but  the  wily  animal  es- 
caped. 

I  will  relate  one  more  incident 
which  happened  in  Coventry  about 
the  year  1815,  relating  to  hard 
times,  showing  how  some  of  the  set- 
tlers had  to  live  and  the  hardships 
that  they  had  endured.  Harvey 
Judd,  Sr.,  lived  on  the  farm  long 
known  as  the  Frisbie  farm  in  the 
south  west  part  of  the  town.  One 
winter  his  wife  went  away  to  take 
care  of  some  one  that  was  sick, 
while  he  and  his  little  son,  Harvey 
Judd,  Jr.,  about  nine  or  ten  years 
old,  lived  there  alone  for  three 
weeks.  All  they  had  to  eat  was  po- 
tatoes, and  all  they  had  to  season 
them  with  was  to  go  to  the  empty 
pork  barrel  and  get  some  salt.  They 
had  no  cellar  and  the  potatoes  had 
to  be  buried  in  a  heap  out  doors. 
The  boy  said  every  time  he  went  to 
get  some  potatoes  he  would  cry  for 
fear  the  potatoes  would  freeze,  for 
he  thought  if  they  did  they  would 
surely  starve  to  death.  Now  reader, 
whoever  you  are.  don't  think  that  I 
am  writing  this  for  fiction  for  I  am 
not.  It  is  the  truth.  Harvey  Judd, 
Jr.,  has  been  dead  over  forty  years, 
but  when  living  his  word  no  man 
disputed,  it  was  as  good  as  the 
wheat,  and  the  writer  has  heard 
this   story   a   good   many   times;    and 


he  said  that  there  were  several  other 
families  in  the  neighborhood  in  the 
same  circumstances,  all  the  meat 
any  of  them  had  was  what  wild 
game  they  could  get. 

Phillips  Family 

A  history  containing  an  account 
of  the  Phillips  family,  from  the  time 
of  their  emigrating  to  America  287 
years  ago  to  the  present  time,  1912. 

Rev.  George  Phillips  was  born  in 
Baymon,  Norfolk,  England.  He  and 
two  of  his  brothers,  Samuel  and 
William,  were  adherents  of  Crom- 
well and  at  his  death,  on  account  of 
the  persecution  in  England  he  with 
his  brothers  and  whole  congregation 
came  over  to  Boston  in  company 
with  Gov.  Winthrop;  arrived  on  the 
second  of  June  1630.  Rev.  George 
Phillips  settled  in  Watertown,  Mass., 
and  died  July  1,  1644. 

2.  Samuel  Phillips,  son  of  Rev. 
George  Phillips  was  born  in  Box- 
ford,  England,  in  1625,  and  died  in 
Rowley,  Mass.,  1696.  His  children 
were:  Sarah,  Samuel,  George,  Eliz- 
abeth,  Dorcas,   Mary   and  John. 

3.  Rev.  George  Phillips,  son  of 
Samuel  was  born  in  1664;  settled  in 
Brookhaven,  L.  I.,  in  1697;  died 
1739.  His  children  were:  George, 
who  lived  and  died  in  Smithtown, 
and  who  was  grandfather  of  George 
S.  Phillips  of  that  place.  He  was 
also  grandfather  of  Major  Phillips, 
who  was  father  of  Moses  and 
George.  One  settled  in  Goshen,  N. 
Y.,  the  other  at  Morristown,  N.  J. 
They  have  many  descendants.  Some 
have  become  very  wealthy.  John, 
who  lived  and  died  in  Boston,  leav- 
ing only  one  daughter,  who  married 
a  Dr.  Spooner.  His  two  sisters  re- 
mained upon  the  Island.  Elizabeth 
married  a  Roe,  the  other  an 
Anthony. 


7U 


HISTORY  ViV  THK  TOWN'  OF  COVKNTRY 


4.  William,  who  lived  in  Smith- 
town.  L  I,,  and  died  Jan.  11,  1778. 
Sybel,  his  wife  Oct.  31,  1767.  They 
were  grandparents  to  G.  D.  Phillips 
of  Coventry.  They  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, viz:  John,  born  Sept.  3,  1638, 
died  in  Milford,  Conn.,  March  12, 
1780,  leaving  four  daughters,  all 
since  dead.  William,  born  May  27, 
1741,  died  in  Brookhaven,  L.  I., 
March  27,  1799,  the  father  of  Wil- 
liam Phillips,  Esq.,  of  Brookhaven. 
His  other  son,  Josiah,  and  daughter, 
I'ljinr.  died  young.  Zebulon,  born 
April  14,  1746,  died  in  Peekskill,  N. 
Y.,  Jan.  13,  1815;  left  only  one  child 
and    she    married    Harry    Rundell. 

5.  James,  born  March  13,  1751, 
died  in  Coventry,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  20, 
1841.  He  was  the  father  of  G.  D. 
Phillips  of  this  place. 

Ebenezer,  born  July  15,  1753, 
died  in  Norwalk,  Conn.,  Aug.  5, 
18  29;  married  Polly  Benedict;  had 
four  daughters:  Esther,  married  a 
Crosby,  Sally,  married  W.  P.  Stew- 
art; Elizabeth,  never  married,  and 
died  in  1862.  Sarah,  born  Oct.  24, 
1756,  married  a  Tillotson  and  died 
in  North  Salem,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  12,  1827. 

Philetus,  born  Oct.  24,  1759,  mar- 
ried Esther  Close.  He  died  in  Green- 
ville, N.  Y.,  May  19,  1818.  They  had 
eight  children:  Ebenezer,  a  min- 
ister, settled  in  East  Hampton,  L.  I. 
Miles  died  in  New  York.  Nancy 
married  William  Phillips  of  Brook- 
haven. and  died  there.  Daniel  B., 
was  a  bachelor,  and  lived  in  New 
York.  John  lived  in  Ohio.  Mary 
died  a  maiden  in  New  York. 
Philetus  lived  in  New  York. 
Esther  married  a  Knowles,  and 
died  in  Greenville,  N.  Y.,  in  1865. 
Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  1762,  died  in 
Brookhaven,  Feb.  4,  1844.  She 
never  married.  Richard  and  two 
Marys    died    young.      It    will    be   seen 


the  ancestors  of  G.  D.  Phillips  in  a 
direct  line  on  his  fathers  side  stands 
thus: 

1. — Rev.  George  Phillips,  who 
emigrated  from  England  in   1630. 

2. — Samuel    Phillips. 

3. — Rev.    George   Phillips. 

4. — William  Phillips,  a  grand- 
father of  G.   D.   Phillips. 

5. — James  Phillips,  father  of  G.  D. 
Phillips. 

We  will  now  give  a  more  partic- 
ular account  of  G.  D.  Phillips 
father's  family  and  his  own. 

James  Phillips,  father  of  G.  D. 
Phillips,  was  born  March  13,  1751, 
and  died  in  Coventry,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 
20,  1841.  His  wife,  Mercy  Close 
Phillips,  died  Sept.  23,  1783.  By 
her  he  had  two  children,  Solomon 
Close  died  a  bachelor  in  Mississippi, 
1830,  and  Betsey,  who  married  a 
Jennings  and  she  died  in  1867.  She 
had  six  children:  Eliza,  Fannie, 
both  of  whom  are  dead;  Solomon, 
Lucinda,  Huldah  and  James.  His 
second  wife,  Betsey  Drake,  he  mar- 
ried in  1785.  She  was  the  mother 
of  G.  D.  Phillips;  born  Sept.  10, 
1761;  died  Sept.  20,  1847.  They 
had  six  children.  (1)  Fannie,  born 
Jan.  25,  1786,  died  Oct.  23,  1826. 
She  married  Isaac  Wallace  and  they 
had  five  children:  James  Phillips, 
Thomas,  John  and  two  Elizabeths, 
the  first  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
John  died  a  bachelor;  the  others 
were  married.  (2)  John,  born  May 
26,  1788,  died  a  bachelor,  June  31. 
1823.  (3)  Gilbert  Drake,  born  June 
3,  1791,  married  Betsey  Miller,  Oct. 
2,  1817.  She  was  born  March  IG, 
1797.  They  had  five  children:  Dan- 
iel Miller,  died  an  infant;  Edgar, 
born  July  12,  1818,  married  Hannah 
M.  Hoyt.  June  30,  184  1.  She  was 
born  March  2  2,  1821.  They  had 
tour    children:       James.    Charles    E., 


HiSTOKV  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


75 


Edward  G.  and  Wallace  H.  James 
M.  born  Nov.  22,  1823,  married 
Lydia  M.  Chandler,  Aug.  25,  1847; 
born  Aug.  25,  1826;  one  adopted 
daughter  Louisa  M.,  Phoebe  Eliza- 
beth, born  Jan.  24,  1829;  married 
A.  J.  Hoyt,  June  19,  1850.  He  was 
born  May  2,  1825.  Had  two  daugh- 
ters, Alice  Louisa  and  Hattie 
Amelia.  Maria  Louisa,  born  Aug. 
27,  1836,  married  F.  Leroy  Martin, 
Oct.  27,  1857;  has  one  daughter, 
Mary  Louisa.  (4)  Minerva,  born 
Sept.  15,  1793,  married  Thomas 
Caldwell;  had  no  children.  Adopted 
two  daughters,  Louisa  and  Maria. 
(5)  George  Washington,  born 
March  9,  1796,  died  May  30,  1841, 
married  Maria  Tremper.  They  had 
seven  children:  Catherine,  Fanny, 
Minerva,  Elizabeth,  Margaret, 

George  and  George  2d.  (6)  Eliza 
Ann,  born  Sept.  5,  1805.  She  mar- 
ried Oct.  8,  1843,  Rev.  J.  B.  Hoyt, 
for  thirty  years  pastor  of  the  Second 
Congregational  church  in  Coventry. 
They  had  one  child,  James  Phillips, 
who  for  many  years  has  been  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel.  G.  D.  Phillips 
died  Dec.  18,  1872,  aged  72  years; 
his  wife,  April  25,  1885,  aged  88 
years.  E.  A.  Phillips  died  Jan.  16, 
1881,  aged  62  years.  His  wife, 
March  2,  1885,  aged  64  years. 
James  M.  Phillips  died  Dec.  18, 
19  00,  aged  7  7  years.  His  wife  died 
April  23,  1874,  aged  48  years.  A.  J. 
Hoyt.  died  Jan  11,  1906,  aged  81 
years.  His  wife  died  Jan.  5,  1903, 
aged  74  years.  E.  A.  Phillips,  if 
not  born  in  Coventry,  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  here,  his  education  was 
attained  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  an  early  age  worked  in  his 
father's  store.  When  a  young  man 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  his 
father  in  the  mercantile  business, 
which    he    followed    until    his    death. 


He  was  very  prominent  in  town  af- 
fairs, having  been  supervisor  and 
held  other  offices.  He  was  very 
active  in  church  matters,  having 
been  superintendent  in  the  Congre- 
gational church  more  times  than 
any  other  man  in  the  society.  He 
was  a  smart,  shrewd  business  man, 
and  what  he  undertook  prospered. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  capable  and 
leading  men  in  the  society.  His 
death  was  a  great  loss  to  the  church 
and  neighborhood,  and  to  the  com- 
munity at  large.  History  does  not 
tell  when  G.  D.  Phillips  came  to 
Coventry.  Some  of  their  children 
were  born  here  and  those  that  were 
born  here  and  those  that  were  not 
must  have  been  quite  young  when 
they  came  here. 

James  M.  Phillips  was  brought  up 
here  the  same  as  the  rest  and  prob- 
ably was  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  When  a  young  man  he 
was  in  the  mercantile  business  with 
his  father  and  brother;  later  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  droving  busi- 
ness with  his  father-in-law.  Colonel 
Chandler,  and  Augustus  Martin, 
which  he  followed  for  a  good  many 
years.  He  was  a  very  strong  prop 
in  the  Congregational  church,  both 
spiritual  and  financial.  He  was  a 
very  prominent  man  in  the  town 
affairs.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, and  lived  in  a  town  that  was 
fifty  or  more  majority  Republican, 
yet  he  was  supervisor  more  times 
than  any  other  man  in  the  town. 
In  1859,  he  accepted  a  nomination 
for  Member  of  Assembly  for  the 
southern  district  of  Chenango  coun- 
ty, which  at  that  time  was  fifteen 
hmid'ed  Republican  majority.  He 
was  defeated  by  Joseph  Bush  of 
Bainbridge  by  about  three  hundred 
majority.  At  that  time  there  was 
great    excitement    over     the     Albany 


76 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP"  COVKNTRY 


and  Susquehanna  railroad,  and  Bush 
promised  to  work  for  it  if  elected, 
and  by  the  means,  he  carried  Bain- 
bridge  solid  with  the  exception  of  16 
votes.  Had  the  Democrats  stood  by 
hira  in  Bainbridge  as  they  did  in  the 
other  towns  he  would  have  been 
elected.  Again  in  1860  he  run  for 
the  same  office  and  was  defeated  by 
Samuel  E.  Lewis  of  Preston  by  about 
the  same  majority.  He  was  a  man 
of  good  judgment,  always  stood  up 
for  what  he  thought  was  right;  his 
counsel  was  often  sought  and  al- 
ways cheerfully  given.  The  poor 
came  to  him  in  trouble  and  he  al- 
ways gave  them  the  helping  hand 
and  cheerful  word,  and  at  his  death 
he  left  an  aching  void,  not  only  in 
his  family  and  relatives,  but  in  the 
community  at  large,  which  never 
has,  nor  never  can  be  filled.  I  for- 
got to  say  that  he  married  for  his 
second  wife  Miss  Francis  Hitt,  who 
died  a  short  time  ago;  date  of  mar- 
riage and  age   unknown   to  me. 

Amasa  J.  Hoyt  came  from  Greene 
to  Coventry  near  the  year  1850;  he 
entered  into  the  holy  bonds  of  wed- 
lock with  Miss  Phoebe  Elizabeth 
Phillips,  June  19,  1850.  In  1851, 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  G. 
D.  Phillips  &  Sons  in  the  mercantile 
business  which  he  followed  as  long 
as  he  was  able.  He  was  not  very 
active  in  politics,  although  a  Re- 
publican, he  did  not  aspire  to  office. 
He  was  a  good  worker  in  the  church, 
both   spiritual   and   financial. 

Thorp 

John  P.  Thorp  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  taught  school  some;  was 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several 
years  and  was  elected  poor  master, 
and   I   think  some  other  office. 

Reader,  whoever  thou  art,  if  you 
see   mistakes   in   the   individual    lives 


of  those  that  I  am  writing,  please 
excuse  me,  for  I  cannot  find  in  any 
history  one  single  scrap  of  writing 
concerning  their  individual  history. 
All  I  have  to  go  by  is  my  own  mem- 
ory of  fifty-nine  years,  since  I  first 
became  acquainted  with  the  people 
of  this  town  and  what  I  can  remem- 
ber hearing  old  people  say.  So  it 
would  not  be  strange  if  a  man  over 
seventy  years  of  age,  writing  from 
his  own  memory  of  fifty-nine  years 
ago  should  make  some  mistakes. 
One  thing  I  am  sorry  for  and  that  is 
I  can't  find  any  individual  history  of 
the  lives  of  the  illustrious  men  of 
this  town,  for  we  have  had  a  good 
many  of  them;  but  what  can't  be 
cured  must  be  endured,  as  the 
school  marm  used  to  tell  us  when 
she  applied  the  birch.  Nevertheless, 
I  will  give  you  a  short  sketch  of  as 
many  as  I  can  remember. 

Hiram  Chase  lived  where  Mrs. 
Jennie  Fletcher  now  lives.  He  was 
a  butcher  and  stone  mason  by  trade. 
Reader  remember  those  that  I  am 
writing  about  now  are  way  back  In 
the  early  fifties.  He  sold  out  to 
John  Grant,  who  was  a  cooper  by 
trade,  who  had  an  extensive  busi- 
ness for  several  years.  He  sold  out 
and  went  to  Freetown,  Cortland 
county,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Chase  bought  near 
where  Burton  Jones  now  lives.  He 
stayed  there  several  years  and  then 
went   toMasonville. 

The  Widow  Stiles  lived  in  the  next 
house,  had  quite  a  family  of  chil- 
dren. Joseph  Estabrook  lived  where 
George  Endter  now  lives  and  work- 
ed at  blacksmithing  in  the  old  wood- 
en shop  that  stood  where  the  stone 
shop  now  stands,  he  worked  there 
several  years,  and  died  a  year  or  two 
ago  in  Oxford. 

The  next  house  on  the  corner 
William   Church  owned  and  lived  in 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVKNTRY 


77 


it.  He  had  a  large  family  of  boys 
and  girls,  several  of  them  grown  up 
and  some  of  them  married  at  that 
time.  He  run  a  large  store  where 
Grange  hall  now  is.  He  was  also  a 
drover.  The  next  house  east  was 
where  Frederic  Martin  lived.  He 
was  born  and  brought  up  in  this 
town,  on  the  farm  known  as  the  T. 
B.  Foot  farm,  where  the  factory 
was,  now  owned  by  the  Lindseys. 
He  was  a  drover  and  somewhat 
prominent  in  town  affairs.  The  next 
east  is  where  Romeo  Warren  lived. 
He  was  a  drover  and  farmer.  He 
had  two  sons  and  two  daughters; 
Mary  taught  select  school. 

Then  comes  what  we  call  the 
temperance  house,  built  by  G.  D. 
Phillips  for  a  Temperance  Hotel  and 
run  as  such  for  a  good  many  years. 
It  was  run  by  Charles  Lewis  when  I 
first  knew  it.  He  was  a  harness 
maker  and  worked  at  his  trade  for 
a  good  many  years  and  finally  mov- 
ed to  Connecticut.  John  Treadway 
run  it  for  a  while,  then  George  Corn- 
ish, and  one  Seeley.  The  next  house, 
I  think,  was  owned  by  G.  D.  Phillips 
and  sons.  It  was  rented  most  of 
the  time.  The  house  next  was  own- 
ed and  occupied  by  J.  W.  D.  Fletcher 
Moon.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade  and  worked  at  it  when  I  first 
remember  this  place  and  for  a  good 
many  years  afterward.  He  had 
quite  a  family  of  children,  and  I 
don't  know  whether  any  of  them 
are  living  or  not.  One  of  ,the  daugh- 
ters married  Edgar  A.  Pearsall,  a 
former  Assemblyman,  who  now  lives 
in  Oxford.  Her  death  occurred  a 
few  years  ago  in  Oxford  and  her 
body  was  brought  here  for  burial. 
I  don't  remember  who  owned  the 
next  house,  but  it  was  occupied  by 
a  man  named  Dole,  an  oldish  man, 
a  day  laborer  and  also  sexton   for  a 


good  many  years  in  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  If  my  memory  serves 
me  right  he  was  father-in-law  to 
Fletcher  Moon.  Then  came  the 
house  owned  and  occupied  by  John 
Keyes.  He  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  and  was  a  day  laborer. 
One  of  his  daughters,  Jane,  married 
Albert  Williams,  who  was  a  shoe- 
maker living  here  for  a  few  years. 
She  is  now  dead  and  he  now  lives 
in  Binghamton.  Emeline  married 
Sylvester  Packard.  He  is  dead  and 
she  is  still  living.  Andrew,  I  don't 
know  who  he  married  for  his  first 
wife,  but  he  married  Emily  Jones 
for  his  second  and  lives  in  Oxford. 
James,    I    think    lives    in    Norwich. 

I  don't  remember  who  owned  the 
next  house,  but  it  was  occupied  by 
a  widow  Andrews,  she  had  one  son 
and  one  daughter  grown  up,  the 
daughter  married  Chauncey  Man- 
ning. The  last  two  houses  named 
have  been  joined  together;  well, 
not  in  holy  wedlock,  for  I  don't 
think  the  minister  did  it,  but  the 
carpenter  joined  them  in  some  kind 
of  a  lock.  They  are  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Oral  Dalton.  That  was 
the  last  house  on  that  side  of  the 
road. 

John  P.  Thorp  lived  where  John 
Mangold  now  lives.  He  had  one 
daughter.  Flora,  who  married  Dr. 
Jesse  Bartoo  of  Greene. 

A  little  north  of  the  churches 
where  Mr.  Palmer  now  lives,  the 
widow  Phillips  lived.  Her  husband 
was  brother  to  G.  D.  Phillips.  She 
had  five  daughters  and  two  sons; 
one  daughter  married  Dr.  Wm.  H. 
Beardsley  of  Coventry,  and  one  mar- 
ried Reuben  Rolf  of  Coventry,  a 
farmer.  I  don't  know  about  the 
rest  of  the  family. 

The  next  house  north  where  Vir- 
gil   Andrews   now    lives,    was   George 


78 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


Kej-es'.  He  married  a  widow  Gris- 
wold,  who  had  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  Delos  and  Lewis,  and  if 
I  remember  the  daughter's  name 
was  Louisa. 

Just  across  the  road  is  where  Rev. 
J.  B.  Hoyt  lived,  mention  of  him  has 
been  made  before.  How  many  chil- 
dren he  had  by  his  first  wife  I  don't 
know,  but  there  was  one  daughter 
who  married  Clement  Blakesley,  a 
farmer,  and  lived  a  little  west  of  the 
village.  There  were  some  boys.  By 
his  second  wife  he  had  one  son, 
James,  who  was  a  minister.  Going 
down  the  corner  of  East  Main  street 
and  you  come  to  where  Dr.  Beards- 
ley  lived.  He  had  four  sons,  all 
married  and  all  living;  only  one, 
C.   G.,   lives  in   town. 

The  next  house  west  is  where 
Luman  Jones  lived.  He  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade  and  had  a  large  fam- 
ily of  children.  Only  one,  Burton, 
now  living  in  town.  The  next  is 
where  Henry  Parker  lived,  and  he 
was  a  wagon  maker  by  trade.  He 
had  one  daughter. 

The  next  is  where  Luther  Hazen 
lived,  who  was  a  wagon  maker.  He 
had  two  sons.  He  built  the  shop 
which  is  now  owned  by  George 
Hamilton  and  run  a  cabinet  and 
undertaking  business. 

Then  comes  the  Orchard  Bristol 
place.  He  was  a  wagon  maker.  He 
had  one  son  by  his  first  wife,  who 
was  a  Benedict.  The  son,  James 
E.,  became  a  reformed  Methodist 
minister.  In  1857,  Mr.  Bristol  sold 
his  place  to  Zenas  Hutchinson.  He 
and  his  wife  and  daughter  lived 
here  until  the  death  of  both  parents; 
after  which  the  daughter  married 
Chauncey  S.  Williams,  and  lived 
here  until  their  deaths.  She  died 
Dec.  10,  1901,  and  he  Jan.  31,  1912. 

The   next   is   where   E.   A.    Phillips 


lived,  who  was  one  of  the  merchants 
of  this  place,  which  business  he 
followed  as  long  as  he  lived.  He 
had  four  sons,  and  not  one  of  the 
name  is  now  living  in  Coventry.  In 
1853  he  built  the  house  that  Frank 
Kelley  now  lives  in  and  lived  there 
until  his  death,  Jan.   16,  1881. 

Turn  and  go  north  up  Gothic 
street  and  the  first  house  is  where 
Miss  Polly  Manning  and  Mrs.  Almira 
Moore  lived.  They  were  milliners 
and  had  a  shop  there.  The  next 
house  is  where  Mrs.  Hoyt  now  lives, 
was  not  built  then. 

The  next  one  is  where  Lemuel 
Lewis  lived.  He  was  a  carpenter 
and  joiner  by  trade  and  built  several 
houses  in  the  village.  He  had  three 
daughters  and  one  son,  one  daugh- 
ter died  young.  Laura  never  mar- 
ried. Elizabeth  married  Stephen 
Palmer  of  Chenango  Forks. 

The  next  house,  the  Congrega- 
tional parsonage,  was  not  built  at 
that  time.  Across  the  road  is  where 
A.  J.  Hoyt  lived.  I  think  he  built 
that  house  in  1853.  He  was  one  of 
the  firm  of  Phillips  &  Hoyt  in  the 
mercantile  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed as  long  as  he  was  able  to 
work.  He  had  two  daughters: 
Hattie,  married  William  Parker; 
Alice  married  Stephen  Berry. 

Go  on  down  to  the  corner  of  East 
Main  street  and  you  will  find  where 
Daniel  Beecher  lived.  He  built  the 
house  and  lived  there  several  years 
and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  In 
after  years  he  farmed  it.  He  had 
two  daughters:  Carrie,  married 
Burton  Jones  of  Coventry;  Emily 
married  Herbert  Tower. 

The  next  house  west  is  where 
Erastus  Greene  lived.  He  was  a 
shoemaker  and  had  two  daughters. 
Emily  married  Charles  Johnson; 
Marv,  a  Gardner. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


79 


The  next  is  where  G.  D.  Phillips 
lived.  It  is  not  needful  to  say  any- 
thing more  of  him  here,  for  you 
have  got  a  sketch  of  his  life  in  this 
book. 

Next  comes  the  store  of  Phillips  & 
Hoyt,  occupied  by  them  in  1853, 
now  occupied  by  Kelley  &  Son. 

Turn  the  corner  to  the  right  and 
you  come  to  what  we  now  call  the 
grocery  store.  In  1853  it  was  own- 
ed and  occupied  by  John  Foote,  a 
shoemaker  and  tanner.  The  lower 
part  was  occupied  by  him  as  a  shoe 
shop  and  the  upper  part  by  John 
Treadway  for  a  harness  shop  and  by 
Hector  Porter  as  a  pocket  book 
factory. 

The  next  house,  where  A.  P.  Stan- 
ton, now  lives,  is  where  Hector  Por- 
ter lived.  He  had  one  son  and  one 
daughter.  Sarah  married  Harvey 
Wilkins.  William  married  Mary 
Jane  Whitington.  The  next  house 
was  where  John  Treadway  lived, 
now  owned  by  Mrs.  Catherine  Lewis. 
He  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
and  was  a  harness  maker  by  trade. 

The  next  house  is  where  Col.  Ru- 
fus  Chandler  lived  and  the  next  is 
where  James  Phillips  lived.  You 
have  a  history  of  their  lives  in 
previous  chapters. 

The  next  house  is  where  John 
Foote  lived,  now  used  as  the  M.  E. 
parsonage.  As  has  already  been 
said  he  was  a  shoemaker  and  tanner 
by  trade.  He  had  two  daughters: 
Lydia  Ann,  who  married  Henry  Mil- 
ton Ketchum  and  removed  to  Min- 
nesota; and  Jane  Amanda.  Mr. 
Foote  afterwards  sold  and  went  to 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 

Gideon  Minor  lived  next.  I  think 
he  taught  school  in  his  younger 
days.  He  had  one  daughter,  Jennie, 
who  married  James  Barnes  of  Bing- 
hamton,    N.    Y. 


Coming  back  down  North  Maple 
street  there  used  to  stand  a  house  a 
little  north  of  the  hotel,  an  old 
couple  by  the  name  of  Barnum  lived. 
The  house  has  been  gone  for  a  good 
many  years. 

Next  on  the  list  is  the  hotel  kept 
by  Luman  Miles.  He  run  a  hotel 
and  farmed  it  there  for  a  good  many 
years.  He  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters:  Leroy,  married  Hattie 
Durham,  kept  hotel  at  East  Corners; 
Frank,  married  Mary  Bump;  Helen^, 
married  Charles  Johnson,  and  Dilla 
married   George   Race. 

Going  down  West  Main  street  and 
the  first  house  was  where  Daniel 
Hays  lived.  He  was  a  tanner  by 
trade  and  worked  at  his  trade.  There 
was  a  tannery  near  his  house.  He 
was  a  strong  supporter  in  the  M.  E. 
church.  He  had  two  stons  and  two 
daughters:  Liza,  married  Edward 
Smith;  Anna,  never  married;  Edgar 
and    Hamilton, 

The  next  house  is  where  Zenas 
Hutchinson  lived,  who  had  two 
daughters:  Sophia,  who  died  at  17 
years  of  age,  and  Callista,  who 
married  Chauncey  Williams.  Hutch- 
inson soon  after  sold  to  Romeo  War- 
ren, who  in  a  few  years  sold  to  Dr. 
Harvey  iBeardsley.  It  was  after- 
wards owned  by  John  Kales  and 
then  by  his  son  James,  then  by  Mrs. 
James  Kales,  and  now  by  Charles 
Hoyt. 

Coming  back  and  on  the  other 
side  of  the  road  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Kingsley  house  was  where  Wil- 
liam Porter  lived.  Afterwards  C.  K. 
Pierce  lived  there,  who  had  tv/o  sons 
and  two  daughters.  He  was  the 
father  of  Frank  Pierce,  so  well 
known  in  Coventry..  C.  K.  Pierce 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Helen 
married  George  Barnett;  Lovie 
married    Perry    Van    Dusen;     Frank 


80 


HISTOKV  OF  THK  TOWN  OF  COVExNTRY 


married  Ida  Wylie.  The  ereamery 
and  the  house  where  Ralph  Hinsdale 
now   lives   was  not   built   then. 

Then  opposite  the  hotel  was 
where  Calvin  Blakesley  lived,  who 
was  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  twenty- 
four  years.  He  afterwards  sold  and 
bought  the  farm  west  of  the  village 
now  owned  by  Hubert  Wade.  He 
had  two  sons:  Clement,  who  mar- 
ried Emeline  Hoyt,  and  Calvin,  who 
went  to  Canada  to  live. 

I  left  out  one  house  on  Maple 
street,  the  house  now  owned  by 
Charles  Fisk.  It  was  owned  by 
Augustus    Rice,    a    cooper    by    trade 

The  house  on  East  Main  street 
known  as  the  John  Southworth 
house  was  not  built  then. 

Going  south  from  the  Four  Cor- 
ners you  came  to  the  M.  E.  church, 
which  was  built  in  1853,  and  the  old 
school  which  stood  just  beyond  was 
built  the  same  year.  That  has  been 
removed  and  a  new  one  built  some 
twelve  years  ago. 

The  next  two  houses  was  not  there 
in  1853.  In  getting  the  Packard  fam- 
ily I  missed  one,  Ann^a  Packard, 
who   married  Ira  Benedict. 

Lemuel  Lewis,  one  of  a  family  of 
eleven,  was  born  Dec.  17,  1804,  in 
Wolcott,  New  Haven  county,  Conn., 
and  remained  there  until  fifteen 
years  old;  then  he  moved  to  Plaiu- 
ville,  Hartford  county,  named  the 
town  and  built  the  first  house  in 
Plainville.  He  moved  from  there 
to  Coventry  Nov.  12,  1835.  He  had 
three  daughters  and  one  son.  Mr. 
Lewis  built  the  M.  E.  church  in  Cov- 
entry from  the  foundation,  done  the 
inside  work  of  both  the  other 
churches  and  raised  two  bells  in  the 
steeple  of  the  Second  Congregational 
church.  On  his  9 2d  birthday  they 
made  him  a  suprise  at  his  son's, 
Charles  licwis.  in  Coventry,  Dec.   17. 


I  will  tell  all  that  was  wrote  about 
it  but  will  say  there  were  fifty- 
eight  present.  I  will  give  the  article 
written  and  read  by  Mrs.  S.  B. 
Wilder: 

Ti'lbute    to    Mr.    JLeiiiuel    Lewis    on 
His  92(1  Birthday 

Ninety-two  years  ago  today  in  the 
town  of  Wolcott,  New  Haven  county, 
Conn.,  our  esteemed  friend  first 
opened  his  baby  eyes  with  wonder 
on  this  strange  world,  and  since  that 
time  life's  Journey  has  been  long  to 
the  weary  one  whom  today  we  greet. 
Many  changes  have  came  to  him  all 
along  life's  way.  He  has  seen  both 
shadow  and  sunshine,  and  some- 
,times  it  has  seemed  as  if  the  clouds 
would  never  roll  by,  but  such  is  not 
life;  the  clouds  will  roll  away  from 
every  burdened  heart  and  we  trust 
today  our  aged  friend  is  looking 
towards  the  setting  sun  with  joy 
and  trusting  in  a  life  of  unfading 
sunlight  beyond. 

Just  now,  we  pause,  along  life's  way, 

.4nd    count    the    rapid     flight     of 

time; 

Ah!      Olden    memories    come    today. 

And  long  lost  strains  of  auld  lang 

syne. 

Ninety-two    years    with    hopes    and 
care. 
With  childhood's  joys  and  youth's 
bright  dream; 
And    manhood's    toiling    strong    and 
brave. 
While    rowing     far    out    on     life's 
stream. 

Oftimes  the  journey  has  been  rough, 
And  burdens  seemed  too  great  to 
bear; 

Yet   Jesus   telleth   all   the  way 
Of  rest   unbroken   "over  there." 

Ninety-two      years,      with      changing 

scenes. 
With      home     and      friends,      with 

cheering   words, 
With    joy    and    love,    with    grief   and 

tears. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


81 


With      music     and     with     broken 
chords. 

There    will    be    briers    where    roses 
bloom, 
There     will     be     budding     hopes 
crushed   down; 
There    will    be    harps    with    broken 
strings 
For  every  cross  there  is  a  crown. 

There  in  that  land  we'll  never  grow 
old, 
The    feet    shall    never    tire    with 
care; 
No    silver    thread    among    the    gold; 
No    night,    nor    tearful    watching 
there. 

Yet    when    thy    feet    shall    touch    the 
stream. 
Thou    shalt   not   sink   beneath   the 
tide, 
For   faith    in   Jesus   then   shall   bear 
Thee   safely   to    the   other   side. 

Then  God  be  with  you  till  we  meet. 
Where  toil  and  tears  are  e'er  un- 
known. 
Across  the   river,   bye   and   bye, 
vVe'll  dwell  forever  safe  at  home. 
As    has    already    been    said    I    can 
get  but  little  personal  history  of  in- 
dividuals in  this  place,  but  I  can  get 
a   little   from   obituaries   of   some   of 
the    town's    former    inhabitants, 

Sampson 

Emogene  Louisa  Martin,  daugh- 
ter of  Frederic  Martin,  was  born  in 
Coventry,  Aug.  20,  1840.  Her  girl- 
hood and  younger  life  was  spent 
here.  She  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  this  place.  In  1861,  she 
was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
wedlock  with  I.  S.  Sampson,  who 
with  three  daughters  survive  her, 
having  buried  her  only  son  in  1878. 
The  large  portion  of  her  life  was 
spent  in  Cincinnatus,  N.  Y.,  where 
she  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church.  In  her  life  she  was  unself- 
ishly devoted  to  her  family  and  the 
church.  Such  were  the  natural 
sympathy  of  her  heart  that  she  was 
often    found    at    the    bedside    of    the 


sick.  As  a  mother  she  was  kind 
and  affectionate.  She  was  over 
twenty  years  the  organist  of  the 
church  where  she  toiled  unceasingly 
to  help  to  make  the  services  of  God's 
house  of  the  greatest  possible  help. 
The  last  few  years  of  her  life  was 
spent  in  DeRuyter.  Her  failing 
health  prevented  her  from  active 
church  work  as  she  had  formerly 
done,  but  in  her  own  life  she  was 
the  same  sweet  spirited  woman  as  in 
her  more  active  years.  September 
11,  1896,  she  passed  from  this  life 
to  the  other. 

Wylie 
Judge  Hawley  J.  Wylie  was  born 
in  Coventry,  Chenango  county,  N. 
Y.,  Dec.  3,  1833.  When  he  was  14 
years  old  his  father  died  and  at  the 
age  of  17  he  began  teaching  school, 
attending  Norwich  Academy  during 
the  summers.  He  left  the  academy 
in  1855  and  for  two  years  was  en- 
gaged in  mining  for  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia. In  March,  1859,  he  came  to 
Columbus,  Ohio,  and  entered  the 
law  office  of  Messrs.  Greiger  &  An- 
drews. On  April  1,  1861,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme 
Court,  Judge  Robert  B.  Warden, 
and  Noah  H.  Swayne,  late  Associ- 
ate Justice  of  the  United  States 
C!ourt,  being  the  examining  com- 
mittee. Judge  Wylie  had  a  military 
record  which  began  in  July,  1862, 
when  he  recruited  Company  H,  of 
the  Ninety-fifth  O.  V.  I.,  made  up 
of  Columbus  men  mostly.  On  July 
18,  1862,  the  company  was  muster- 
ed at  Camp  Chase,  Judge  Wylie  be- 
ing commissioned  captain.  The  reg- 
iment was  sent  to  Kentucky,  where 
at  the  battle  of  Richmond  on  Aug. 
31,  it  was  nearly  riddled  with 
wounded,  captured  and  killed.  On 
December  5,  his  regiment  not  hav- 
ing   been    exchanged,    Captain    Wylie 


82 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


resigned  and  began  the  practice  of 
law  in  the  city  of  Columbus  with 
the  late  Judge  W.  R.  Rankin.  He 
was  elected  city  solicitor  in  1863, 
and  re-elected  in  1865,  serving  four 
years.  At  the  October  election  in 
1881  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  the 
counties  of  Madison,  Pickaway  and 
Franklin.  He  took  his  seat  on 
February  9,  1882.  His  term  ex- 
pired on  February  9,  1887.  Dur- 
ing his  term  he  presided  over  the 
criminal  branch  of  the  courts  and 
helped  out  on  the  chancelor  side. 
After  his  retirement  from  the  bench 
he  resumed  the  practice  of  law. 
Judge  Wylie  was  a  brother  of  the 
late  John  Wylie  of  Coventry  and  an 
uncle  of  Mrs.  W.  A.  Baldwin  of 
this  village.  He  visited  here  in 
1911  and  will  be  remembered  by 
many  of  the  older  inhabitants. — 
Columbus,  Ohio  Dispatch. 

Parker 

James  S.  Parker  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Coventry  and  lived  here 
nearly  all  his  life.  He  was  West 
about  five  years  and  in  his  old  age 
lived  with  his  son  in  New  Jersey. 
In  his  younger  days  he  taught 
school  and  was  a  farmer,  and  after- 
wards run  a  grocery  store.  He  was 
quite  prominent  in  town  affairs, 
holding  oflfice  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  several  years  and  I  think  another 
office.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Second  Con- 
gregational   church    of   Coventry. 

Watrous 

Jerome  Watrous  was  born  in  Cov- 
entry in  1849  and  spent  all  his  life 
in  this  town.  Ho  was  much  respect- 
ed in  the  community  where  he  lived 
and  in  the  whole  town  and  he  will 
be   greatly   missed.      He   was   a  kind 


husband  and  a  loving  father,  and 
had  a  good  word  for  every  one.  He 
leaves  to  mourn  his  departure  a 
wife,  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Pearl  Bad- 
ger, and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Eugenie 
Parker.  He  was  a  farmer  and  ac- 
cumulated considerable  wealth.  He 
had  been  in  poor  health  for  some 
time. 

Wylie 

Hubbard  H.  Wylie  wa3  born  in 
Coventry  Dec.  6,  1828,  on  what  is 
now  known  as  the  George  Wylie 
farm,  and  died  at  his  home  in  this 
town  Jan.  16,  1910,  aged  81  years. 
With  the  exception  of  one  year  spent 
in  the  West,  when  a  young  man,  he 
lived  all  his  life  in  town  and  was 
well  known.  In  185  7  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sabrah  Brown  of  Har- 
pursville,  and  soon  after  they 
bought  the  farm  where  they  lived 
and  where  he  died.  Mr.  Wylie  being 
a  carpenter,  built  the  house  where 
they  have  since  passed  fifty-two 
years  of  life  together.  One  son, 
Jesse,  was  born  and  lived  to  be  19 
years  old,  when  he  died  in  1886. 
Mr.  Wylie  was  always  a  kind  and 
helpful  neighbor  and  true  friend, 
with  always  a  pleasant  word  for 
every  one.  He  had  filled  many  of- 
fices of  trust  and  honor  in  town  af- 
fairs, and  could  always  be  counted 
on  as  doing  what  was  the  right 
tl  ing.  He  will  be  greatly  missed  by 
a  large  circle  of  relatives  and 
friends. 

Hunt 

Nelson  G.  Hunt,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Rebecca  Hunt,  was  born  in 
Towanda,  Pa.,  in  1824.  He  was 
married  to  Emeline  Hunt  March  11, 
1847,  and  five  children  were  born  to 
them,  four  of  whom,  Frank  R.  Hunt, 
of  Newark.  N.  Y.,   D.   N.   Hunt,   Mrs. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


83 


E.  H.  Wheeler  and  Mrs  B.  W.  Par- 
sons, survive  him.  Mr.  Hunt  be- 
came a  resident  of  this  town  in 
1856,  and  has  been  an  exemplary 
member  of  the  First  Congregational 
church  for  43  years  and  was  always 
in  attendance  when  able  to  be  pres- 
ent. He  was  a  deacon  in  the  church 
for  a  number  of  years  and  was  a 
man  of  excellent  character.  Be- 
fore disease  came  upon  him  he  was 
a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  activ- 
ity and  intelligence,  possessing  a 
bright  and  cultivated  mind.  In  early 
life  he  was  a  teacher  for  seven 
years,  then  was  town  superintend- 
ent of  schools.  He  was  always  act- 
ively identified  with  the  affairs  of 
the  town,  having  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  28  con- 
secutive years.  Mr.  Hunt  was  a  man 
of  influence,  respected  and  loved  by 
a  large  circle  of  friends;  a  kind  and 
loving  husband  and  father,  a  true 
and  upright  man.  He  had  been  in 
poor  health  for  the  past  ten  years, 
and  has  been  most  tenderly  cared 
for  by  his  wife  and  children..  He 
passed  quietly  to  a  higher  life  of 
immortality  on  Friday  morning 
July  21,  1899,  at  the  advanced  age 
of   75   years. 

Kales 

James  Kales,  son  of  John  Kales, 
was  born  in  Coventry  and  brought 
up  in  this  place.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  received  at  the  common 
district  school  in  this  village.  He 
married  Nellie,  daughter  of  Ezra 
Foote.  The  deceased  has  always 
been  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
interests  of  the  community  and 
prominent  in  town  affairs,  holding 
the  office  of  supervisor,  if  I  am  in- 
formed right,  for  one  or  two  terms, 
and  in  his  death  we  lose  a  most 
substantial   and    public   spirited    citi- 


zen. He  was  ever  ready  to  help  the 
unfortunate,  and  his  life  will  be  held 
in  affectionate  rememberance  by 
many  who  feel  that  in  his  death, 
they  have  received  irreparable  loss. 
When  a  kind  and  loving  husband 
and  brother  dies  the  busy  world 
takes  little  note,  but  those  who 
knew  his  worth,  and  we  who  mourn, 
desire  to  express  our  thoughts  in 
words  of  love.  We  cannot  look  be- 
yond the  stars.  We  cannot  find  in 
this  cold  clay  the  consolation  that 
we  seek,  but  the  mystery  that  sur- 
rounds this  bier  must  be  the  perfect 
working  of  the  law,  though  hard  to 
bear,  we  must  submit,  and  to  thy 
tender  mercy,  give  back  to  thee, 
this  soul.  He  passed  away  April  27, 
aged  49  years.  But  this  we  know, 
and  be  it  known,  a  gentle  spirit  has 
been  called.  There  are  surviving 
him  a  widow  and  two  sisters,  Mrs. 
John  Manderville  of  Brocton,  Mass., 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Frieot  of  Bain- 
bridge,  besides  a  host  of  friends. 
The  services  at  the  grave  were  con- 
ducted in  the  rites  of  the  Masonic 
order.  In  this  quiet  burial  place 
and  where  the  sky  is  nearly  always 
blue  and  the  air  is  pure  and  sweet, 
we  tenderly  placed  him  among  the 
flowers  and  with  heavy  hearts  and 
faltering  steps,  withdraw  to  await 
the  promises  of  God. 

Mrs.  Wood 

Lucy  J.,  daughter  of  Truman  and 
Jane  Southworth  of  Coventry,  was 
born  Aug.  8.  1840.  Her  youthful 
days  were  spent  there;  her  educa- 
tion was  acquired  at  the  district 
school.  At  the  age  of  26  on  Sept. 
26,  she  was  united  in  hymeneal 
bonds  with  Wallace  W.  Wood  of 
Cincinnatus,  .N  Y.,  and  since  that 
date  has  resided  in  that  place.  Of 
this  union  one  son  was  born,  Frank 


8J^ 


HISTORY  OF  THI']  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


S.  Wood  of  Taylor.  Mrs.  Wood, 
having  lived  in  Coventry  till  she  was 
26  years  of  age,  she  left  many  warm 
friends  here,  and  has  always  been 
esteemed  for  her  many  admirable 
qualities,  her  spirit  of  friendship 
and  interest  in  the  welfare  of  others, 
and  her  many  kindly  acts  which 
will  not  be  forgotten.  Her  death 
occurred  April  11,  1912.  She  leaves 
a  husband  and  son  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  devoted  wife  and  kind  and 
indulgent    mother. 

Thorp 

John  P.  Thorp,  an  old  and  re- 
spected citizen,  a  life  long  resident 
of  this  town,  and  one  that  was  much 
esteemed  by  all  that  knew  him.  He 
was  the  father  of  Mrs.  J.  E,  Bartoo 
of  Greene,  and  passed  away  at  the 
home  of  his  nephew  in  Rochester, 
April  18,  1903.  His  remains  were 
brought  to  Coventry  and  buried  by 
the  side  of  his  wife,  who  had  passed 
on    a    few    years    before. 

SouthAvorth 

.John  Southworth,  son  of  Truman 
Sr.,  and  Jane  Southworth,  was  born 
in  Coventry  and  spent  his  life  here. 
He  farmed  it  till  he  got  to  be  an  old 
man  and  then  moved  into  the  vil- 
lage. He  had  one  of  those  strong, 
iron  constitutions,  and  but  few  men 
wanted  to,  nor  could  do  the  work 
that  he  done.  A  singular  coincidence 
happened  at  his  death  which  oc- 
curred in  1911,  he  dying  all  alone 
in  the  same  house  where  his  wife 
died  alone,  a  few  years  previous. 
Truman  Southworth,  brother  of 
John,  a  highly  respected  citizen,  was 
born  in  184?,  and  lived  in  this  town 
all  his  life,  with  the  exception  of 
a  year  or  two  spent  in  Binghamton. 
He    was    a    farmer    and    somewhat 


prominent  in  town  affairs,  holding 
the  office  of  highway  commissioner 
for  several  years.  In  early  life  he 
married  a  Miss  Elliott  and  lived  for 
a  good  many  years  in  the  north 
east  part  of  the  town.  They  had 
two  sons,  Guy  and  Ray.  The  last 
three  years  of  their  lives  they  spent 
in  the  vilage  of  Coventry.  Mrs. 
Southworth  received  a  shock  In 
March,  1910,  and  another  in  No- 
vember of  the  same  year.  She  was 
a  great  sufferer.  She  died  on 
Saturday,  Dec.  31,  1910.  Saturday 
evening  the  spirit  of  little  Ernest, 
only  son  of  Ray  and  Lena  South- 
worth,  winged  its  flight  to  his 
heavenly  home,  after  an  illness  of 
little  more  than  a  week  of  spinal 
trouble.  Mrs.  Southworth  was  70 
years  of  age,  she  was  a  kind  and  lov- 
ing mother  and  was  tenderly  cared 
for  by  her  husband  and  two  sons. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational church  of  Coventry. 
Truman  A.  Southworth,  the  father, 
died  Jan.  5,  1911,  only  a  few  days 
after  the  others,  from  Bright's  dis- 
ease. He  had  been  in  poor  health 
for  some  time.  He  left  two  sons. 
Surely  this  family  has  seen  double 
and  triple  affliction  within  a  few 
days. 

Allis 

Spencer  F.  Allis  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Coventry,  N.  Y.,  in  1836. 
His  early  education  was  acquired  in 
the  district  school;  his  boyhood  days 
were  spent  there.  He  married  a 
Miss  Kales,  daughter  of  William 
Kales.  They  had  three  sons  and  one 
daughter.  He  was  a  farmer,  and 
also  very  prominent  in  town  affairs. 
He  was  one  of  Coventry's  most 
trustworthy  men,  having  held  the 
office  of  supervisor  for  several  terms 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


86 


with  marked  ability.  He  was  a 
shrewd  business  man  and  a  whole- 
souled  citizen.  Mr.  Allis  moved 
from  Coventry  to  Greene  several 
years  ago  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
his  children  better  school  advan- 
tages than  they  could  get  at  home 
and  to  escape  the  hardship  of  farm 
life.  He  died  in  1888,  aged  52 
years,  right  in  the  prime  of  life  by 
an  overdose  of  laudanum  taken  ac- 
cidentally by  his  own  hand.  His  sad 
and  untimely  ending  brought  sor- 
row to  his  family  and  to  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  who  had  known 
him   from  his  boyhood  days. 

Jones 

Chester  L.  Jones  was  born  in  Cov- 
entry, July  23,  183  2,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  E.  Rogers,  Sept.  23, 
1856.  She  died  July  2,  1891,  in 
Philadelphia.  Their  children  were 
one  daughter  and  four  sons.  After 
the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Esther  Mumford,  Nov.  17, 
189  2.  She  has  given  him  most  as- 
siduous and  tender  care  in  his  ill- 
ness and  filled  a  difficult  and  trying 
pl-nce  in  his  home  most  admirably 
Mr.  Jones  was  very  prominent  in 
town  affairs,  holding  the  office  of 
highway  commissioner  for  two 
terms,  assessor  one  term,  and  was 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several 
years.  He  had  been  trustee  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Nineveh  and 
was  serving  his  second  term  as  elder 
when  he  died.  He  united  with  the 
church  in  Coventry  when  he  was  20 
years  old.  For  45  years  he  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Nineveh.  In  the  little 
vale  with  its  running  brook,  known 
as  Church  Hollow,  he  came  years 
aso  with  only  a  log  house  to  re- 
ceive him.  Here  he  erected  build- 
ings    comfortable     and     convenient. 


building  the  beautiful  winding  road 
along  the  stream  to  the  main  thor- 
oughfare. Here  the  smiling  acres 
answered  to  his  toil  with  generous 
harvest;  two  spears  of  grass  grew 
where  one  had  grown  before.  How 
much  of  toil,  sacrifice  and  endeavor 
is  between  these  lines.  Here  stal- 
wart sons  and  daughters  grew  up  to 
mature  life.  In  all  his  efforts  he 
was  seconded  by  his  worthy  help- 
mate who  was  a  helpmate  indeed. 
With  age  we  look  for  weakness,  in- 
firmity, failing  power,  but  our 
brother  had  few  marks  of  decay; 
We  did  not  think  of  him  as  old,  so 
youthful  was  he,  until  bereavement 
touched  him,  and  the  wife  of  his 
youth  departed.  He  was  a  young- 
man,  then  we  saw  the  sickle  of  the 
years  begin  to  reap  their  harvest. 
He  was  a  man  of  energy  and  thrift, 
the  life  of  the  husbandman  demands 
a  strenuous  life,  he  also  found  time 
to  work  at  carpenter  work,  and 
thus  interest  could  be  met  and  the 
debt  slowly  paid.  All  farmers  know 
what  a  life  this  demands.  He  was  a 
good  neighbor.  That  word  in  cities 
and  large  towns  has  lost  its  sweet 
significence,  we  have  what  we  pay 
for,  but  money  will  not  buy  some 
things,  and  that  which  money  will 
not  command  comes  to  rural  com- 
munities in  the  form  of  neighborly 
offices,  in  bereavement,  in  disaster, 
in  sudden  press  of  work.  Long  will 
the  dale  where  our  brother  lived  so 
long  remember  his  cordial  word,  his 
hearty  hand  grasp,  his  jovial  spirit. 

>Ian<leville 

Ashal  Mandeville  was  born  in 
Coventry  in  18 — ,  and  was  the  son 
of  Malancton  Mandeville,  who  came 
in  here  when  it  was  all  woods  and 
cleared  his  farm.  Ashal's  early  edu- 
cation    was    gained    in    the    district 


86 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


school  and  in  1868  he  married 
Rachael  M.  Kales  of  Coventry,  who 
still  survives  him.  Mr.  Mandeville 
retained  the  ownership  of  the  home- 
stead farm  in  Coventry,  and  of 
which  he  became  possessor;  he  culti- 
vated this  farm  in  a  manner  which 
yielded  profitable  results,  and  he 
was  considered  a  wealthy  farmer. 
About  19  years  ago  he  retired  and 
moved  to  the  village  of  Bainbridge. 
His  retired  life  has  been  quiet  and 
unassuming.  He  loved  his  home 
and  devoted  much  time  to  reading. 
He  was  a  regular  attendant  at  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  Louisa 
M.  Curtis  of  Orange,  N.  J.,  is  the 
only  child  surviving.  Mr.  Mande- 
ville left  two  brothers,  one  in  Min- 
nesota and  the  other  at  Brocton, 
Mass.,  and  a  sister  in  New  Haven, 
Conn.  There  are  two  sisters  of  the 
wife,  one  Mrs.  S.  F.  Allis  of  Seattle, 
Washington,  and  the  other  Mrs. 
Sarah    J.    Cahoon   of   Elyria,   Ohio. 

Roe 

Alanson  Roe,  a  man  over  90  years 
of  age,  who  came  ,to  his  tragic 
death  by  the  house  burning  up,  was 
born  April  18,  1808,  in  Dutchess 
county.  N.  Y.  He  was  married  Oct. 
16,  1834,  to  Miss  Louisa  Smith  of 
Coventry,  a  most  estimable  lady  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children,  four 
of  whom  survive  him.  Mrs.  Roe 
died  March  20,  1888.  They  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  in  1884. 
Mr.  Roe  was  a  genial,  kindly  man 
and  had  been  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Second  Congregational 
church  of  Coventry  for  upwards  of 
40  years.  He  was  a  man  that  took 
keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  church 
and  State  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  had  a  remarkable  mem- 
ory and  had  committed  to  memory 
a  great  many  chapters  of  the  Bible, 


and  took  great  delight  in  conversing 
about  spiritual  things.  He  knew  in 
whom  he  believed  and  said  but  a 
short  time  before  he  met  his  sad 
death,  that  he  was  only  waiting  the 
master's  call.  He  rests  from  his 
labors,  and  his  works  do  follow  him. 

Mrs.  John  P.  Thorp 

The  many  friends  of  Mrs.  John  P. 
Thorp  were  deeply  grieved  to  hear  of 
her  death,  which  occurred  at  her 
home  at  Coventry  .March  11,  1911, 
aged  74  years.  Mrs.  Thorp's  maiden 
name  was  Diana  Waters.  She  was 
born  in  Coventry  in  October,  1827, 
being  the  daughter  of  Russell  and 
Roxey  Waters,  and  the  third  child 
in  a  family  of  five.  In  the  fall  of 
1848  she  was  united  in  marriage  to 
John  P.  Thorp  and  the  young  couple 
resided  in  Oxford  for  four  years.  In 
1852  they  returned  to  Coventry  and 
took  their  residence  at  the  pleasant 
place  which  has  since  been  their 
home  for  over  50  years,  and  where, 
one  daughter,  Florence,  was  born  to 
them.  Mrs.  Thorp  w^as  a  member  of 
the  Second  Congregational  church  of 
Coventry  and  her  strong  Christian 
spirit,  affectionate  disposition,  and 
sympathetic  nature  that  were  hers, 
have  so  endeared  her  to  those  she 
came  in  contact  with,  that  her  death 
brings  an  acute  sense  of  personal 
loss  and  grief  to  all  who  knew  her. 
She  had  been  in  failing  health  for 
several  years,  but  always  met  her 
friends  with  a  cheerful  smile,  and 
at  the  last,  the  end  came  suddenly, 
and  she  slipped  away  from  this  mor- 
tal life  into  that  life  which  is  im- 
mortal. She  was  survived  by  her 
aged  husband,  but  he  is  now  gone, 
and  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Jesse  Bartoo 
of  Greene,  who  have  the  sympathy 
of  all  in  their  loss.  She  was  laid  to 
rest    in    the    cemetery    at    Coventry. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


87 


Landers 

Mrs.  Dotha  Landers,  the  oldest 
person  then  living  in  the  town  of 
Coventry,  died  at  her  home  in  Wil- 
kins  Settlement,  on  Jan.  16,  1892,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  98  years  and 
some  months.  The  funeral  was  at- 
tended at  her  late  residence,  the 
home  of  Melvin  Lyon,  on  the  18th. 
Mrs.  Landers  was  one  of  those  droll 
characters  seldom  found,  but  when 
once  seen  always  remembered.  She 
was  a  good,  well  meaning  woman^ 
but  her  hobbies  were  numerous  and 
the  earnestness  with  which  she  de- 
nounced all  secret  societies  and 
harmless  amusements  gave  rise  to 
much  good  natured  hilarity  among 
the  young  people,  and  Aunt  Dotha, 
as  she  was  familiarly  called,  was 
well  known  far  and  near.  She  pre- 
served her  physical  strength  to  a  re- 
markable degree  and  was  able  to 
walk  about  and  to  visit  her  neigh- 
bors until  the  very  last  years  of  her 
life.  She  told  many  stories  of  the 
far  past,  which  were  received  with 
pleasure.  One  of  her  sisters  was  a 
district  school  teacher  of  consider- 
able note  in  the  good  old  time,  and 
Mrs.  Landers  frequently  mentioned 
with  considerable  pride  the  fact  that 
Henry  Ward  Beecher,  when  a  boy 
used  to  attend  her  sister's  school. 
Thus,  one  by  one,  the  very  few 
links  left  that  connect  us  with  the 
past  century  are  passing  away. 

Warren 

Elisha  M.  Warren  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Coventry.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  gained  in  the  common 
schools.  He  was  married  Sept.  18, 
1879.  His  home  was  in  Coventry 
until  he  became  middle  aged,  when 
he  removed  to  Bainbridge  and  has 
been  associated  with  Jesse  Ander- 
son, under  the  firm  name  of  Warren 


&  Anderson  in  the  boot  and  shoe 
business  for  about  30  years.  He 
died  on  the  road  of  heart  failure, 
between  Sidney  and  Bainbridge 
while  coming  home  from  camp  meet- 
ing. He  was  76  years  old  and  was 
buried    at    Coventryville. 

Smith 

Russell  M.  Smith  was  a  son  of 
Clark  Smith  and  was  born  in  Cov- 
entry Jan.  26,  1813.  His  whole  life 
was  spent  in  his  native  town  and 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  place 
of  his  birth.  In  early  life  he  united 
with  the  Second  Congregational 
church  of  Coventry  and  was  for  a 
number  of  years  a  deacon  in  that 
church.  Later  he  removed  to 
Church  Hollow  and  became  a  mem- 
ber and  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  Nineveh.  He  after- 
wards returned  to  his  farm  where 
he  died,  and  connected  himself  with 
the  First  Congregational  church  of 
Coventry,  of  which  he  was  a  faithful 
and  esteemed  member  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  July  4,  1838,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Annette  Beecher,  a 
sister  of  Dr.  H.  H.  Beecher,  late  of 
Norwich,  who  preceded  him  to  the 
grave  March  21,  1877.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  but  one  of 
whom  is  living,  C.  Eugene  Smith, 
who  resides  about  one  mile  from  the 
old  homestead  in  Coventry.  Mr. 
Smith  was  truly  one  of  nature's 
noblemen.  He  was  naturally  of  a 
retiring  and  unassuming  disposition 
but  was  never  backward  nor  slow  to 
do,  when  service  was  needed  and  his 
fellow  men  could  be  helped.  He 
carried  his  Christian  principles  into 
his  daily  life.  His  Christian  faith 
moved  and  controlled  him  in  all  his 
actions  and  was  a  constant  strength 
and  joy  to  him  in  all  of  his  ex- 
periences.      He    won    and    held    the 


ss 


HISTORY  OF  THP:  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


highest  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  him.  His  life  went  out 
peacefully  in  the  full  assurance  of 
the  Christian  hope.  In  his  death 
his  native  town  has  lost  one  of  its 
oldest  and  best  citizens,  and  the 
church  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
and  the  circle  of  friends  and  rela- 
tives,   will    long    feel    their   loss. 

Andrews 

Death  has  again  invaded  our 
quiet  community  and  taken  two  of 
our  most  highly  esteemed  citizens. 
On  Thursday  of  last  week  the  peo- 
ple about  here  were  pained  to  learn 
of  the  death  of  Henry  Andrews, 
which  occurred  early  that  morning 
at  his  late  residence.  Mr.  Andrews 
was  a  soldier  and  a  member  of  the 
114th  Regt.  during  the  Civil  war, 
not  entering  the  service  for  the  sake 
of  a  bounty,  as  he  got  none,  but  like 
many  others  he  left  family,  home 
and  friends  to  defend  his  country 
out  of  pure  patriotism.  He  was 
dangerously  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Cedar  Creek,  from  which  he  so 
far  recovered  as  to  enjoy  comfort- 
able health  for  many  years  after  the 
war,  but  in  these  later  years  the  old 
wound  ulcerated  and  he  suffered 
much  for  a  long  time  until  at  last 
death  came  to  his  relief.  He  was 
the  soul  of  honor  in  all  the  business 
relations  of  life.  In  his  youth  he 
became  converted  and  united  with 
the  Baptist  church  of  Coventry,  of 
which  he  was  deacon  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  He  leaves  a  wife  but  no 
children.  The  funeral  took  place  at 
the  North  Afton  church  on  Friday 
afternoon,  Oct.  10.  His  pastor.  Rev. 
George  Boler,  preached  the  sermon 
and  his  comrades  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
bore  his  remains  to  the  cemetery 
near  by  where  they  were  committed 
to   the   dust. 


White 

A  few  hours  later  the  community 
was  again  saddened  to  hear  that 
Vincent  White  had  passed  away. 
He  had  been  in  poor  health  for  over 
a  year  and  his  death  was  not  alto- 
gether a  surprise.  He  had  been  a 
resident  of  this  place  for  many 
years  and  carried  on  the  business  of 
harness  maker  with  honesty  and 
ability,  and  was  held  in  high  estima- 
tion by  the  community.  Mr.  White 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Second  Congregational  church  of 
Coventry.  He  leaves  a  wife  and  four 
grown   up  sons  to   mourn   him. 

Seymour 

Josiah  Seymour,  born  and  brought 
up,  married  and  lived  here  till  mid- 
dle age,  was  one  of  Coventry's  prom- 
inent men.  Always  quiet  and  in- 
offensive, with  a  good  word  for  all. 
He  left  farming  and  moved  to  Bain- 
bridge,  working  in  the  foundry  for 
several  years.  He  was  the  inventor 
of  the  Seymour  plow  that  was  so 
popular  several  years  ago.  He  died 
at  Port  Jervis.  His  remains  were 
brought    back   here   for  interment. 

Converse 

Mrs.  Alvin  Converse,  a  former 
resident  of  this  town,  but  late  of 
Bainbridge,  was  buried  at  Coventry 
Jan.   12. 

Beechei- 

Dr.  Harris  H.  Beecher  was  born 
in  Coventry,  Nov.  21,  1820.  His 
father.  Parson  Beecher,  was  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  the  county, 
having  removed  from  Salem,  Conn., 
now  Naugatuck,  to  Coventry  in 
1806.  In  January,  1808,  Parson 
Beecher  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Margaret  Porter  and  began  life 
in  a  log  house;  later  he  built  the 
first    frame    house    upon    what    was 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


89 


known  at  the  "Livingston  tract," 
and  the  first  between  Bainbridge 
and  Greene.  Here  Dr.  Beecher  was 
born  and  spent  his  boyhood  days. 
Having  suffered  an  injury,  which 
produced  long  and  painful  lameness, 
he  found  himself  incapiaciated  from 
manual  labor,  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  entered  Oxford  Academy  for 
a  course  of  study.  He  remained  at 
Oxford  for  four  years,  teaching  at 
intervals.  He  then  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine  and  first  read 
with  local  practioners  and  then  go- 
ing to  Binghamton  entered  the 
office  of  Dr.  Davis,  later  of  Chicago 
and  one  of  the  most  eminent  mem- 
bers of  the  medical  profession  in 
the  world.  Later  he  graduated  from 
the  medical  college  at  Castleton,  Vt., 
and  in  1848,  settled  in  North  Nor- 
wich and  began  practice.  He  was 
eminently  successful  in  his  profes- 
sion and  soon  had  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive ride.  He  became  very  popular 
with  his  fellow  townsmen  and  was 
elected  to  various  town  offices.  He 
was  superintendent  of  schools  for  a 
number  of  years  and  in  1859  repre- 
sented the  town  on  the  Board  of 
Supervisors.  Before  the  Civil  war 
Dr.  Beecher  was  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, but  when  the  first  shot  was 
fired  on  Port  Sumpter,  he  promptly 
responded  to  the  call  of  patriotism 
and  announced  himself  on  the  side 
of  the  Union.  He  became  active  in 
advancing  the  cause  of  the  North 
both  by  speeches  and  by  urging  men 
to  enlist,  and  in  1862  decided  to 
enter  the  ranks  of  the  army.  He 
offered  his  services  to  Governor 
Seymour  and  after  a  successful  pass- 
ing the  required  examination  was 
commissioned  assistant  surgeon  and 
assigned  to  the  114th  Regiment,  N. 
Y.  Volunteers.  Dr.  Beecher  went  to 
the   front   with   his  regiment  and  by 


his  assidious  attention  and  sympa- 
thetic heart  won  the  esteem  of  all 
the  boys.  Said  a  veteran  of  the  reg- 
iment to  the  writer,  when  it  was 
known  that  Dr.  Beecher  could  not 
survive,  "there  was  no  man  in  the 
regiment  more  universally  loved 
than  he."  After  the  regiment  went 
to  Louisiana  he  was  ordered  by  Gen- 
eral Banks  to  take  charge  of  the  U. 
S.  Marine  General  Hospital  at  New 
Orleans.  Here  he  remained  for 
nine  months  and  when  he  left  to 
enter  upon  the  Red  River  cam- 
paign, was  presented  with  an  ele- 
gant gold  headed  cane  and  other 
valuable  tokens  of  appreciation  by 
the  soldiers  for  whom  he  had  cared. 
From  ,that  time  on  he  was  conti- 
uously  in  active  service  and  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  was  the  only 
medical  officer  with  his  regiment. 
He  returned  with  the  114th  and 
then  decided  to  locate  in  Norwich. 
He  gave  his  time  to  his  profession 
and  literary  work.  Desiring  the 
noble  deeds  of  his  brave  comrades 
should  be  perpetuated,  he  wrote  and 
published  a  "Record  of  the  114th 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,"  which  made 
a  work  of  nearly  600  pages  and  is 
conceded  to  be  one  of  the  best  regi- 
mental histories  ever  written.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Norwich,  Dr. 
Beecher  was  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  popular  citizens  of  the 
town.  He  was  foremost  in  every- 
thing that  pertained  to  the  public 
good.  He  was  made  a  trustee  of  the 
Norwich  Academy  and  president  of 
the  board.  He  took  much  interest 
in  everything  that  had  to  do  with 
soldiers,  and  was  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  Smith  Post,  G.  A.  R. 
It  was  through  his  instrumentality 
that  Memorial  Day  was  first  observ- 
ed in  Norwich.  He  also  suggested 
the   organization   of   the    114th    regi- 


90 


lllSTOUY  OF  THK  TOWN  OF  COVFXTRY 


mental  association  and  became  its 
corresponding  secretary,  an  office  he 
held  at  his  death.  At  the  reunions 
he  was  ever  a  prominent  figure  and 
contributed  in  a  large  measure  to 
their  success.  In  later  years  his 
favorite  project  was  a  soldiers'  mon- 
ument, towards  which  he  stood 
ready  to  give  $500.00,  but  he  never 
succeeded  in  overcoming  the  indif- 
ference of  the  public.  He  succeeded 
the  late  George  W.  Avery.  M.  D., 
as  pension  examiner  and  when  a 
board  was  organized  was  made  its 
president.  He  held  the  place  till  the 
advent  of  President  Cleveland,  when 
he  gave  way  to  men  of  Democratic 
faith.  He  was  reappointed  to  the 
office  and  would  have  entered  upon 
the  duties  had  his  health  permitted. 
In  1874  he  was  elected  Member  of 
Assembly  from  Chenango  and  serv- 
ed on  the  committees  on  public 
health  and  joint  library.  While  in 
the  Assembly  he  made  an  able 
speech  in  which  he  advocated  the 
cause  of  compulsory  education.  In 
his  profession  he  ranked  high  and 
filled  various  offices  in  the  Chenango 
County  Medical  Society.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  State  Society  and 
of  the  New  York  Central  and  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association.  He  was  an 
ornate  and  ready  writer  and  gave 
many  carefully  prepared  lecturea 
and  addresses  on  medical,  agricul- 
tural, scientific  and  political  sub- 
jects. His  last  public  appearance  as 
a  speaker  was  when  he  gave  an  ad- 
dress of  welcome  to  Capt.  Harrison 
Clark  on  his  return  from  the  State 
encampment  at  Binghamton,  where 
he  was  elected  State  Commander. 
Dr.  Beecher  never  married.  At  his 
death  he  was  survived  by  three 
brothers,  Daniel  and  Hector  Beecher 
of  Coventry,  and  Harry  Beecher  of 
Norwich,  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Hoyt 


of  Pittston,  Pa.,  and  Mrs.  Yale  of 
Binghamton.  Genial,  affectionate 
and  cultivated  in  his  taste,  he  was  a 
true  friend  and  a  valued  citizen.  On 
Sunday  morning  at  seven  o'clock, 
July  14,  18  89,  calm  and  peacefully 
he  passed  from  the  ills  and  cares, 
and  troubles  of  life  into  the  rest  of 
eternity  in  the  68th  year  of  his  age. 

Simeon    VV.    Wai-i-en 

Simeon  was  the  youngest  son  of 
Woodward  Warren  and  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Coventry,  Chenango  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  1830,  at  which  place  his  life 
was  spent  until  the  removal  of  the 
family  ,to  Bainbridge  in  1868.  He 
joined  the  First  Congregational 
Church  at  Coventryville  in  the  year 
1862,  and  July  4,  1864,  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Sarah  A.,  only  daugh- 
ter of  Deacon  John  Stoddard  of  that 
place.  For  a  long  time  his  health 
had  been  gradually  failing  and  hop- 
ing by  change  of  scene  and  climate 
to  regain  it,  the  winter  of  1885, 
was  spent  in  Florida,  with  some  im- 
provement but  during  the  summer 
and  autumn  after  his  return,  the 
troublesome  cough  returned  and 
pain  increased,  until  hoping  to  es- 
cape the  changes  and  severity  of  our 
northern  winter  he  again  accompan- 
ied by  Mrs.  Warren  sought  the  more 
genial  climate,  hoping  for  renewed 
health  and  strength.  But  in  vain; 
weakness  and  prostration  increased 
until  the  one  great  desire  remaining 
to  himself,  and  her  who  with  sad 
and  anxious  heart  attended  him,  was 
to  reach  home  once  more.  They 
rame  the  eleventh  of  May,  and  the 
nineteenth  he  was  assisted  to  the 
room  which  he  never  left  again  until 
the  wasted  silent  form  was  borne 
by  others,  thus  lingering  but  a  few 
weeks  after  his  return  ere  he  pass- 
ed to  thp  hind  where  no  shadow     or 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


91 


pain    or    weariness    falls.     All      his 
life  free  from  those  pernicious  hab- 
its   many    acquire    and   Indulge      in, 
we  only  wish  his  example  might  be 
Imitated.     Of  pleasant  conversation- 
al  powers  and   gentlemanly   bearing, 
he  ever  chose   to   mingle  with   those 
of  cultivated   tastes,   and   being     an 
ardent   lover   of   music,    found    in   it 
a  source  of  never  failing  enjoyment. 
Many    besides    kindred    hearts    were 
touched   with    sorrow   at    the   tidings 
of   his    death,    and    instinctively      re- 
call   past   hours,    when    other   voices 
joined  his  in  pleasant  evening  gath- 
erings.    As    a    teacher   of    music   he 
was   highly   competent   and    earnest, 
aiming  to  improve  those  under     his 
instruction.     And    for    many    years 
led  the  choir  and  then  to  give     ex- 
pression   to    the    sentiments    as      to 
bring   out    as   he    would    often      say 
"the  soul  of  the  words  and  music." 
The  members  of  the  choir  and  Sun- 
day school,   who  for  many  years  he 
was  a  leader,  ever  gratefully  remem- 
ber his  labors   with   them,   and      the 
few  of  his  early  friends  in  the  "long 
ago,"  so  often  sang   with   him,  hope 
through   a   Saviour's   intercession   to 
meet  beyond  the  storms  and  changes 
of  time,  in  the  land  of  eternal  light 
and   beauty,   and   join    them   in   per- 
fect   song.      At    Bainbridge,    N.     Y., 
July   26,   1886,  he  passed  to  his  last 
resting    place,    aged    56    years.      His 
remains  were  taken  to  Coventryville, 
and    buried    with    his    kindred    dead. 
As  the  casket  was  lowered   into  the 
grave    amidst    the    evergreens      and 
flowers   hearts   echoed    these   beauti- 
ful lines: 

"There    is    a    calm    for      those      who 
weep, 

A    rest   for   weary  pilgrims  found; 
They  softly  lie  and  sweetly  sleep, 

Low   'noath  the  ground." 
Or.    Win.    H.    Beavdsley 


Dr.  Wiliaml  H.  Beardsley  was 
born  in  Butternuts,  Otsego  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  1818.  After  preparing 
himself  for  his  profession  he  came 
to  Coventry  and  bought  out  Dr. 
Prentiss  in  1846,  living  in  the  vil- 
lage and  practicing  till  1869,  when 
he  removed  to  a  farm  three  miles 
south  of  Coventry  and  practiced 
there  till  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1886,  in  the  68th  year  of  his 
age.  He  stood  high  in  his  profes- 
sion, and  in  1859-60  was  President 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  Chenango 
County,  where  his  skill  was  Well 
known  and  appreciated  and  where 
he  stood  high  as  a  citizen  in  all  the 
walks  of  life.  He  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  exemplified  his  faith  by  his  con- 
tributions and  works  and  his  in- 
terest in  the  cause  of  religion  and 
good  morals  in  the  community  in 
which  he  lived.  His  wife  was  Miss  '^ 
Ca,therine  Phelps,  an  estimable  -' 
Coventry  lady  who  with  four  sons 
were  left  to  mourn  a  devoted  hus- 
band, a  kind  and  indulgent  father. 
The  legacy  of  a  good  name  and  of 
good  deeds  were  to  them  and  bereav- 
ed friends,  a  source  of  comfort  and 
consolation.  It  is  said  over  forty 
carriages  followed  the  remains  of 
the  beloved  physician  to  the  ceme- 
tery near  his  old  residence  in  Cov- 
entry where  he  located  forty  years 
before. 

Romeo  Warren 

Romeo  Warren  was  born  at  Wa- 
tertown,  Conn.,  Jan.  7,  1799,  and  at 
an  early  age  removed  to  Coventry 
where  he  spent  the  greater  portion 
of  his  life.  He  married  Miss  Lucy 
Lewis  Nov.  6,  1822,  with  whom,  if 
he  had  survived  a  few  days  longer 
he  would  have  lived  sixty-one  years. 
He   was  emphatically  a      self      made 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  COVKNTRY 


a  capital  of  energy,  integrity  and 
perseverance,  he  accumulated  a  fair 
fortune  and  won  his  way  to  the  es- 
man.  Commencing  life  with  only 
teem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow 
men.  He  held  at  times  several  of- 
fices of  trust  and  responsibility.  In 
185  2  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Che- 
nango county,  and  in  1866-7,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  State  Legisla- 
ture. In  both  of  these,  as  well  as 
supervisor  of  his  town,  he  discharg- 
ed his  duties  with  great  credit  to 
himself  and  the  general  satisfaction 
of  the  people.  For  nearly  half  a 
century  he  was  a  member  of  the  Sec- 
ond Congregational  Church  of  Cov- 
entry, and  in  his  death  which  oc- 
curred Oct.  25,  1883,  in  his  84th 
year,  that  society  lost  one  of  its 
staunchest  adherents.  Thus  pass- 
ed away  not  only  one  of  the  oldest 
residents  of  the  county,  but  one 
who  was  universally  respected  and 
esteemed. 

Deacon    Thaddeus    Hoyt 

Deacon  Thaddeus  Hoyt  died  in 
Coventry,  N.  Y.,  March  21.  1867, 
aged  67  years.  Seldom  does  the 
Church  part  with  a  more  devoted, 
honored  Christian  brother.  He  was 
what  the  world  so  much  needs,  em- 
inently a  Godly  man,  a  strict  con- 
scientious Christian  possessing 
largely  the  grace  of  charity  and  one 
whose  life  a  steady  light,  and  whose 
piety  honored  his  Saviour.  He  left 
the  companion  of  his  youth  and  ten 
children,  all  professed  followers  of 
Jesus;  one  a  minister  of  Christ,  and 
three  deacons  in  the  church.  Surely 
his  life  work  was  well  done.  Infirm 
in  body,  suffering  painfully  from 
disease  and  ripe  in  Christian  ex- 
perience, he  might  well  exclaim, 
"Go  and  dig  my  grave  today. 


Homeward  doth  my  journey  tend; 
And  I  lay  my  staff  away 

Here,  when  all  thing  earthly  end; 
And  I  lay  my  weary  head 

In   the  only   painless  bed." 

Miss    Mary    Kales 

In  Coventry.  Dec.  3.  1887,  Miss 
Mary  Kales,  daughter  of  Hon.  Wil- 
liam Kales,  died  suddenly  of  paraly- 
sis of  the  brain.  The  funeral  was  at- 
tended on  the  following  Sunday  af- 
ternoon at  the  home  of  her  brother- 
in-law,  A.  V.  Tallman.  Her  father, 
Hon.  William  Kales,  had  gone  west 
on  a  visit  to  spend  the  winter,  and 
being  very  aged,  his  infirmities  did 
not  allow  him  to  come  home  to  the 
funeral.  For  some  years  Miss 
Kales  held  the  office  of  post-mistress 
of  Coventry  and  discharged  the  du- 
ties of  the  office  with  ability  and 
fidelity.  She  left  many  friends  to 
mourn   her   loss. 

Hiram   Blakeslee 

Hiram  Blakeslee,  a  life  long  res- 
ident of  this  town  and  a  farmer  in 
the  southeast  part,  well  known  in 
this  community,  died  of  congestion 
of  the  lungs.  He  was  well  advanc- 
ed in  years  and  had  been  in  poor 
health  for  some  time. 

Mrs.  Henry  Stoddard 

In  Coventryville.  Dec.  10,  1890, 
aged  70  years,  the  mother  of  J.  H. 
Stoddard,  who  was  so  well  known 
in  this  section  passed  away  after 
suffering  a  severe  and  protracted 
illness. 

Mrs.    Duncan    Parker 

In  Coventryville,  Dec.  18.  1860, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Parker,  wife  of  Duncan 
Parker,  died  very  suddenly.  Appar- 
ently in  usual  health  she  was  play- 
ing and  singing  at  the  organ,  when 
she   stopped   and   complained  of  not 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


93 


feeling  well.  No  one  was  present 
but  her  husband  and  in  spite  of  his 
frantic  efforts  to  give  her  relief,  she 
died  in  a  few  moments. 

Lucius  Manwarring' 

At  Coventry,  Nov.  8,  1895,  Lucius 
Manwarring,  an  old  and  respected 
resident  of  this  town,  entered  into 
his  reward  and  his  funeral  was 
held  at  his  late  home  Monday,  Nov. 
11.  For  upwards  of  sixty  years 
he  had  been  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Second  Congregational  Church 
at  Coventry,  and  he  was  ever  ready 
to  help  the  poor  and  needy,  and  vis- 
it  the  sick.  He  had  been  a  patient 
sufferer  for  a  long  time  and  had 
reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  He  left  one  daughter, 
Mrs.  Sanford,  of  Binghamton,  and 
his  wife,  who  had  so  patiently  car- 
ed for  him  during  his  long  illness. 

Mrs.    Anianda    M.    Judd 

Died,  in  North  Afton,  Feb.  1,  at 
the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Marcus  Wrench,  Mrs.  Amanda  M. 
Judd,  aged  70  years.  Mrs.  Judd 
had  been  for  several  years  a  suf- 
ferer from  various  infirmities  which 
in  the  more  recent  months  gave  rise 
to  serious  nervous  derangement. 
In  her  last  sickness,  Mrs.  Wrench 
was  assisted  in  the  care  of  her  moth- 
er by  Mrs,  J.  Shaw  of  Buffalo,  a 
foster  sister.  Mrs.  Judd  was  a 
native  of  Coventry,  where  she  has 
always  lived.  Funeral  services 
were  held  at  the  M.  B.  Church,  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  R.  C.  Lansing  of 
Coventryville.  Mrs.  Judd  was  sur- 
vived by  a  husband,  Joel  Judd,  who 
was  in  extreme  age  and  physical  in- 
firmity. 

Beecher 

In    Coventry,    March,    27,       1893, 
Mrs.     Betsey     J.,    wife     of       Daniel 


Beecher,   Esq.,   aged   67   years. 

Mrs.   Frances  Pliillips 

Mrs.  Frances  Phillips,  second  wife 
of  James  Phillips,  of  Coventry,  a 
very  estimable  and  highly  respected 
lady,  a  devout  and  sincere  Chris- 
tian, for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Second  Congregational  Church  of 
Coventry  and  one  much  beloved  by 
all  that  knew  her,  a  kind  neighbor, 
always  ready  to  visit  the  sick  and 
lend  a  helping  hand,  passed  beyond 
this  mortal  life,  after  a  short  ill- 
ness, at  her  home  in  Greene,  Jan. 
23,  1912.  Her  remains  were  brought 
to  Coventry  and  buried  by  the  side 
of  her  husband,  who  passed  over 
about  twelve  years  before. 

Mrs.    Samuel    Martin 

Mrs.  Roxie  E.,  widow  of  the  late 
Samuel  Martin  of  Coventry,  died 
at  the  daughter's,  where  she  made 
it  her  home  in  Greene,  July  28, 
1903,  aged  76  years.  Her  funeral 
was  held  on  Thursday,  at  her  home 
and  her  remains  were  brought  to 
Coventry  for  burial.  She  leaves  one 
daughter,  Mrs.  William  Kelley,  to 
mourn  her  departure.  Mr.  Martin's 
people  were,  before  his  death,  life 
long  residents  of  Coventry. 

Dickinson 

Mrs.  Lucretia  E.  Dickinson,  for- 
merly Miss  Lucretia  Scott,  who  was 
born  in  Coventry  in  February,  1832, 
died  in  Angola,  Ind.,  Feb.  26,  1902, 
aged  69  years. 

>Irs.   Maria   Hatch 

Mrs.  Maria  Hatch,  formerly  Miss 
Maria  Hungerford,  was  born  in 
Watertown,  Conn.,  in  or  near  the 
year  1805.  She  came  to  this 
country  with  her  parents  in  the  year 
1812.  Her  girl  and  youthful  days 
were  spent  in  Coventry.     At  an  early 


9U 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


age  she  commenced  teaching  school 
and  taught  a  good  many  years. 
After  getting  along  in  years  she 
married  Moses  Hatch  of  Kattleville. 
where  she  lived  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1869  or  1870. 
She  had  one  son,  named  Moses,  who 
died  in  early  youth.  Soon  after  she 
came  to  Coventry  and  ilved  with  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Susan  Judd,  until  her 
death  which  was  in  1884,  after 
which  she  made  it  her  home  wi,th 
her  nephew,  Chauncey  D.  Hunger- 
ford,  until  her  death,  which  occur- 
red Dec.  15,  189 — .  In  her  younger 
days  she  united  with  the  church  and 
has  always  been  a  faithful  member. 
A  large  number  of  relatives  and 
friends  gathered  at  the  home  of  C. 
D.  Hungerford  to  attend  her  funeral 
and  to  pay  the  last  respect  ,to  the 
departed  sister  in  Christ.  Rev.  J.  J. 
Henry  officiated.  The  departed  was 
an  estimable  woman  and  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  her. 
Much  credit  is  due  the  M.  E.  choir 
for  the  fine  music  rendered,  and  as 
one  looked  upon  that  face  for  the 
last  .time  they  could  say  "not  dead, 
but  sleeping."  Her  deeds  are  her 
memorial. 

Passing    away    like    the    dew    of    the 
morning. 
Soaring  from  earth  to  its  earth  in 
the  sun; 
Thus  would  she  pass  from  the  earth 
and  its  toiling, 
Only  remembered  by  what  she  had 
done. 
Why  should  our  tears  in  sorrow 
When   God   returns  his  own. 

Albeit    Stoddard 

Tn  the  death  of  Albert  Stoddard, 
which  occurred  at  his  home  Monday 
evening,  the  community  loses  a  man 
who  has  always  been  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  those  who  knew  him. 
For    nearly    80    years    Mr.    Stoddard 


has  been  a  resident  of  this  town, 
and  during  tha,t  time  has  held  many 
offices  of  honor  and  trust.  At  an 
early  age  he  united  with  the  First 
Congregational  church,  of  which  he 
has  since  been  a  faithful  member. 
For  many  years  he  held  the  office 
of  Deacon  of  the  church,  until  fail- 
ing health  compelled  him  to  remain 
much  at  home. 

Mrs.    Eniiline    Hunt 

Mrs.  Erailine  Hunt  passed  peace- 
fully away  Monday,  Sep,t.  28,  1903, 
at  the  home  of  her  eldest  daughter, 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Wheeler,  after  suffering 
intensely  from  injuries  received  in 
an  accident  a  few  days  previous, 
while  returning  home  from  the  Af- 
ton  fair,  Sept.  25,  with  her  daughter 
and  son-in-law.  The  funeral  was 
largely  attended  Wednesday,  Rev.  A. 
Mclntyre  officiating,  and  prayer  also 
being  offered  by  Rev.  Oscar  Beards- 
ley  of  Oxford.  Intermen,t  was  made 
in  the  Coventryville  cemetery  by  the 
side  of  her  husband,  N.  G.  Hunt, 
who  preceeded  her  to  the  other 
shore  four  years  before.  Mrs.  Hunt 
had  passed  the  80th  milestone  in 
life's  journey  a  few  weeks  ago  and 
how  little  it  was  thought  ,to  be  her 
last  birthday  on  earth.  But  again 
we  are  reminded  of  the  uncertainty 
of  life.  Mrs.  Hunt  was  of  keen  in- 
tellect, was  tenderly  devoted  to  her 
family,  was  a  kind  neighbor  and 
friend,  and  her  cheery,  helpful  and 
loving  presence  will  be  missed  in 
various  homes  and  from  ^the  gather- 
ings, social  and  religious,  in  all  of 
which  she  had  an  active  interest. 
The  deceased  is  survived  by  a  son. 
Prank  Hunt  of  Newark,  N.  Y.,  a  son, 
D.  N.  Hunt  of  Coventry  and  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Wheeler  and 
Mrs.  R.  W.  Parsons,  both  of  Cov- 
(-ntry. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


95 


Matthew  Hoyt 

Matthew  S.  Hoyt  was  born  in 
1819.  If  he  was  not  born  in  this 
(town  he  came  here  very  young.  He 
was  a  thrifty  farmer,  and  one  of 
those  hustling  men  that  made  farm- 
ing a  success  and  a  good  reward  for 
his  labors.  He  was  a  man  of  prom- 
inence and  made  a  success  of  all  he 
undertook  to  do,  holding  many  town 
offices.  He  early  united  with  the 
Second  Congregational  church  of 
Coventry,  of  which  he  was  a  consis- 
tent member  all  his  life,  and  for 
many  years  was  deacon.  He  died 
Jan.   14,   1891,  aged  72   years. 

Thomas  Tiift 

Thomas  Tifft  was  born  in  Little- 
ton, N.  H.,  in  1829.  Most  undoubt- 
edly his  boyhood  and  youthful  days 
were  spent  there,  and  his  education 
received  there.  When  a  young  man 
we  find  him  working  in  Millbury, 
Mass.  In  Millbury,  in  1851,  he  was 
united  in  the  holy  bonds  of  wedlock 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Parker  of 
Coventry,  N.  Y.,  and  he  came  to  the 
Parker  homestead  where  Ray  Park- 
er now  lives.  He  built  |the  house 
where  Ray  Parker  now  lives,  but  It 
stood  north  some  little  distance  on 
the  east  side  of  the  road.  He  after- 
ward sold  that  and  bought  the  first 
farm  south  of  Ray  Parker's,  long 
known  as  the  Thomas  Tifft  farm. 
He  built  the  barn  that  now  stands 
there  and  built  the  house  also.  He 
lived  there  a  good  many  years. 
Some  time  in  his  life  he  lived  in 
Guilford  a  few  years.  He  finally 
moved  to  the  village  and  lived  there 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church,  I 
think,  all  of  his  life,  one  of  )the 
foremost  workers  and  a  strong  pillar 
in  that  church.  He  was  a  good 
neighbor,   sociable  and   kind,   always 


full  of  fun,  well  beloved  and  respect- 
ed by  all  who  knew  him.  They  had 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  liv- 
ing but  one  daughter.  He  quietly 
passed  away  Nov.  26,  1910,  and  was 
buried  in  the  village  cemetery.  His 
wife  has  since  been  buried  by  his 
side. 

John  Niven 

On  Friday  afternoon,  Feb.  28, 
1902,  occurred  the  death  of  an  o!ld 
and  respected  townsman,  John  Niv- 
en, aged  83  years.  For  nearly  60 
years  Mr.  Niven  had  been  a  resident 
of  the  town,  and  lived  for  over  50 
years  on  the  farm  where  he  died. 
He  was  always  an  honest,  upright 
man  and  had  the  esteem  of  all  who 
knew  him.  His  wife  died  some  25 
years  previous.  He  was  survived  by 
his  son,  George,  who  has  always 
lived  on  the  home  farm,  and  one 
daughter,  Mrs.  Ella  Truesdell,  both 
of  Coventry.  George  Tyler  Niven, 
his  son,  died  Jan.  3,  1911,  aged  57 
years.  Mr.  Niven  had  not  been  in 
good  health  for  several  years,  but 
had  not  given  up  work  un,til  the  last 
of  October  when  he  had  a  severe  ill- 
ness and  for  several  days  it  was 
thought  he  could  not  recover.  But 
after  a  little  he  commenced  to  re- 
gain his  health.  At  Christmas  time 
he  was  able  to  ride  out  and  the 
prospeCit  looked  good  for  many 
years  of  life  for  him.  But  a  few 
days  later  he  commenced  to  fail,  and 
failed  rapidly  till  the  end  came.  He 
was  highly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him,  a  kind  neighbor  and  a 
true  friend.  He  always  lived  on  the 
farm  where  he  was  born.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  Allen,  who 
survives  him.  He  was  also  survived 
by  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Arthur  Hunt, 
who  now  lives  on  the  homesetead, 
and  Miss  Edna  Niven:    also  one  sis- 


96 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


ter.  Mrs.  Ella  Truesdell  of  Coventry. 

Chauncey  S.  Williams 

Chaunoey  S.  Williams  was  born  in 
Coventry,  Sep,t.  1,  1843.  His  young- 
er days  were  spent  here.  His  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  schools 
of  this  town.  He  lived  here  till  he 
was  about  25  years  old  and  then 
went  west  and  was  gone  five  years 
in  Wisconsin,  and  then  came  back, 
and  in  the  year  1878  was  united  to 
Miss  Calista  H.  Hutchinson  in  the 
holy  bands  of  wedlock,  and  lived  in 
ithe  village  of  Coventry  the  rest  of 
his  life.  In  his  early  manhood  he 
united  with  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Coventry,  of  which 
he  was  a  faithful  member  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
Jan.  31,  1912,  in  the  66th  year  of 
his  age.  He  never  enjoyed  good 
health,  but  still  he  was  not  con- 
fined to  the  house  bu^t  a  few  days  to 
a  time,  with  the  exception  of  two  or 
three  sick  spells  until  the  last  two 
winters  when  he  was  not  able  to  be 
out  for  a  long  time  each  winter. 
He  was  na,turally  a  quiet  man  nearly 
always  at  home,  a  man  highly  es- 
teemed and  well  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  a  good  worker 
and    a   strong   pillar   in    the   church. 

Calista    Hutchinson 

Calista  Hutchinson,  wife  of 
Chauncey  S.  Williams,  was  born 
Jan.  26,  1827,  in  Coventry.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Zenas  and  Electa 
Hutchinson.  Her  youthful  days 
were  spent  in  this  place,  her  educa- 
tion was  received  here,  and  in  her 
youthful  days  she  joined  |the  Second 
Congregational  church  and  lived  a 
consistent  member  all  her  life.  She 
was  a  very  amiable  woman  and 
much  loved  by  all  who  knew  her. 
She  never  enjoyed  good  health   and 


for  the  last  year  or  more  her  health 
was  very  poor.  She  died  Dec.  10, 
19  01,  aged  72  years. 

T.  1).   Paikei- 

Timothy  D.  Parker  was  born  in 
Coventry  in  1834.  He  had  been  a 
life  long  resident  of  this  town.  He 
lived  with  his  father  on  the  old 
homestead.  As  he  has  been  spoken 
of  once  in  this  book  we  will  not  say 
but  a  few  words  here.  He  died 
Sept.   20,   1809,  aged  75  years. 

Mrs.  Matilda  Minor 

Mrs.  Matilda  Minor  passed  quietly 
away  Sept.  24,  1910,  a,t  the  age  of  95 
years,  at  the  home  of  her  son,  Alan- 
son  Minor,  where  she  had  lived  over 
60  years.  The  deceased  hed  been  a 
faithful  member  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational church  for  seventy- 
eight  years,  and  had  for  some  time 
previous  ,to  her  death  been  connect- 
ed with  the  church  the  longest  of 
any  of  its  present  members.  Mrs. 
Minor  was  born  in  Connecticut,  Feb. 
12,  1815,  and  at  the  age  of  three 
years  moved  with  her  parents,  Ithuel 
Blake  and  wife,  and  resided  for  a 
number  of  years  on  their  farm  one 
mile  south  of  the  village.  Her  first 
home  in  those  early  pioneer  days 
was  a  log  house.  In  1837,  she  mar- 
ried Frederic  Minor,  and  a  few  years 
later  they  moved  to  the  farm  which 
has  been  the  Minor  homestead  ever 
since.  He  husband  died  35  years 
previous.  A  few  years  later  she 
lost  her  eyesight  as  the  result  of 
cataracts  and  during  all  the  years 
of  widowhood  and  blindness,  and  in 
later  years  of  gradually  fading  facul- 
ties, both  physical  and  mental,  she 
had  been  exceptionally  and  lovingly 
cared  for  at  the  home  by  her  son 
and  family.  She  was  survived  by 
one   brother,   Alanson   Hlake,  of  Eau 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


97 


Claire,  Wis.,  who  was  about  ninety 
years  of  age,  and  by  two  sisters, 
Mrs.  Sybil  Hathaway  of  Cannons- 
ville,  and  Mrs.  Wealthy  Horton  of 
Bainbridge,  and  by  a  son,  Alanson 
Minor,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  F.  C. 
Pearsall,  all  of  this  place;  and  by 
eleven  grandchildren  and  fifteen 
great  grandchildren.  She  lost  a 
daugh(ter,  Mrs.  Amasa  Hathaway, 
several  years  ago.  The  deceased 
was  a  woman  of  strong  physical 
constitution  and  strong  Christian 
character,  and  was  always  interest- 
ed and  enthusiastic  in  the  welfare 
and  advancement  of  the  church  and 
all  religious  and  uplifting  influence, 
and  ever  in  the  family  was  loving 
and  patient,  and  thoughtful  of 
others  and  forgetful  of  self,  and  en- 
deavoring in  every  way  to  be  help- 
ful  to  those  around  her.  Her  death 
took  from  the  village  one  who  has 
been  for  years  a  valued  and  highly 
esteemed  resident.  She  belonged  to 
a  family  line  that  have  been  ac,tive 
in  the  Congregational  church.  Her 
grandfather,  Benjamin  Benedict, 
was  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  church  organized  over  a  hun- 
dred years  ago  and  he  was  later 
elected  deacon.  Her  father,  Ithuel 
Blake,  was  for  many  years  deacon; 
and  the  name  of  Deacon  Blake  and 
his  sterling  qualities  are  kindly  re- 
membered by  the  older  inhabi,tants. 
Her  brother,  Alanson  Blake,  was 
also  a  deacon  and  an  influential 
member  of  the  church;  and  her  son, 
Alanson  Minor,  has  served  in  the 
same  capacity,  thus  being  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  fourth  generation 
since  ,the  organization  of  the  church. 

Mrs.    Catherine   T.   Beardsley 

Mrs.  Catherine  T.  Beardsley,  wife 
of  Dr.  William  H.  Beardsley,  was 
born   in    1826,    in   the   town   of   Cov- 


entry. Mrs.  Beardsley  had  reached 
nearly  the  four  score  mark  (79 
years)  of  useful  life  in  the  most 
eventful  period  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  She  was  a  faithful  wife,  a 
devoted  mother,  an  earnest,  consist- 
en,t  Christian  through  most  of  her 
life  and  for  more  than  thirty  years 
was  a  member  of  the  Coventry  M.  E 
church.  The  good  example  she  set 
in  her  all  her  life  was  a  lamp  to  the 
feet  of  all  who  knew  her,  and  shed 
its  light  like  a  halo  over  her  de- 
clining years.  She  left  four  sons  to 
mourn  her  loss:  William  B.  and 
Cory  L.  Beardsley  of  this  town, 
Frank  Beardsley  of  Cazenovia  and 
James  Beardsley  of  Manilla,  P.  I., 
where  he  has  a  posi|tion  as  engineer 
in  the  employ  of  the  United  States 
government.  Mrs.  Beardsley  passed 
away  in  1905,  aged  79  years. 

W.    H.    Benedict 

The  death  of  W.  H.  Benedict  takes 
from  our  midst  another  one  who  has 
been  a  life  long  resident  and  one  of 
Coventryville's  most  highly  respect- 
ed citizens  and  a  kind  neighbor  and 
friend.  He  was  a  member  of  ,the 
First  Congregational  church  about 
60  years,  and  was  repeatedly  elected 
deacon,  and  for  about  20  years  at 
one  time  and  another.  He  was  an 
unusually  efficient  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  very  regular  and  helpful 
attendant  at  all  ,the  various  Sunday 
morning  and  evening  and  midweek 
services,  but  owing  to  failing  health 
and  declining  years  he  had  been 
unable  to  be  present  as  much  of  late 
years.  He  had  been  gradually  fail- 
ing during  the  winter,  having  had  an 
attack  of  grip  and  later  being  af- 
fected with  heart  trouble  but  more 
especially  a  general  physical  break- 
down.     He  had   been   able   to   be  up 


98 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


around  the  house  a  portion  of  each 
day  to  the  last.  That  he  might  be 
more  conveniently  cared  for  he  was 
moved  March  29  to  the  home  of 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Shaw,  on  the 
farm  adjoining.  But  Thursday 
morning  on  the  old  Benedict  home- 
stead where  he  was  born  81  years 
ago,  he  quietly  fell  "asleep  in 
Jesus,"  as  was  sung  at  the  funeral. 
He  was  survived  by  his  widow,  Mrs. 
Laniira  Miles  Benedict,  who  had 
been  a  loving  and  helpful  companion 
along  life's  journey  for  56  years; 
two  daughters,  Mrs.  Leroy  Shaw  and 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Matthewson;  and  a  sister, 
Mrs.   Erastus  Ives,  all  of  this  place. 

.Mary  W.  Lockwoofl 

Mrs.  Mary  Waters  Lockwood, 
whose  death  occurred  on  Feb.  20, 
was  born  in  Coventry,  N.  Y.,  March 
7,  1832,  and  in  that  place  grew  up 
to  womanhood.  There  too  she  was 
married  on  Oct.  14,  1857,  to  the  late 
Rev.  William  Herbert  Lockwood,  at 
that  time  pastor  of  the  village 
church.  Not  long  after  they  moved 
to  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  where  jthey  re- 
mained until  1864,  when  Mr.  Lock- 
wood  went  to  Wisconsin  in  response 
to  a  call  to  become  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Eau 
Claire.  The  next  year  Mrs.  Lock- 
wood,  and  two  children  followed  to 
make  their  home  in  what  was  then 
called  the  far  west.  In  ,this  new 
country  they  labored  together  until 
"the  night  came  in  which  no  man 
can  work,"  and  the  impress  of  their 
Christian  characters  will  remain  a 
lasting  tribute  to  the  lives  ithey  led. 
They  finished  their  work  together, 
for  scarcely  two  months  after  Mr. 
Lockwood  was  called  home  his  lov- 
ing, grieving  wife  was  stricken  with 
paralysis  and  her  active  life  was 
over,  though  for  six  years  longer  she 


was  spared  to  her  friends.  When  in 
the  early  morning  the  message  came 
,that  she  had  ceased  to  suffer  and 
was  at  rest,  a  great  wave  of  sorrow 
swept  over  many  hearts.  Not  to  the 
family  alone,  nor  to  the  circle  of 
intimate  friends  was  she  missed,  but 
by  the  members  of  the  church  and 
Sabbath  school  and  the  old  set,tler8, 
whose  annual  gatherings  were  once 
gladdened  by  her  face  and  voice,  and 
by  the  members  of  the  Chautauqua 
Club,  who  read  together  many 
years  and  named  their  circle  in  her 
honor.  The  Lockwood  Art  and  Trav- 
eling Club.  Though  she  had  suffer- 
ed long  none  thought  the  end  so 
near,  but  it  came  even  as  she  would 
have  chosen,  painlessly  and  without 
warning,  a  beautiful  close  to  a  beau- 
tiful  Christian   life. 

Reuben   Rolf 

Reuben  Rolf  was  born  on  Long 
Island  in  the  year  1811  and  lived 
there  till  near  the  year  1837.  when 
he  moved  to  Coventry  and  bought  a 
large  farm  three  miles  south  of  the 
village.  He  was  an  enterprising, 
thorough  going  farmer.  At  one  time 
he  kept  100  cows  and  had  a  cheese 
factory  of  his  own.  He  was  mar- 
ried ,to  Miss  Esther  Wood,  who  died 
March  14,  1836.  Elizabeth  Wood, 
his  second  wife,  died  Oct.  26,  1853, 
aged  43  years.  He  had  one  son, 
Moses,  by  his  first  wife  and  they  lost 
some  other  child'-en.  His  taird  wife 
was  Minerva  Phillips  of  Coventry, 
their  union  was  blessed  with  two  or 
three  children.  She  died  April  2, 
1896,  aged  68  years.  In  1869,  Mr. 
Rolf  sold  his  farm  and  moved  with 
his  family  to  Virginia,  where  he 
died    .Tan.    11.    1879,    aged    68    years. 

James    Treadway 

.James  Treadway  was  born  in 
Connecticut    in    1816.   moved  to  Cov- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  COVENTRY 


99 


eiiitry  with  his  parents  in  1824  and 
was  a  resident  of  this  town  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1912. 

The  following  is  a  short  poem 
written  bj'  Mrs.  Cordelia  Wilder,  one 
of  Coventry's  poets,  the  last  one  she 
ever  wrote.  She  was  abou,t  sick 
when  she  wrote  it  and  said  if  she 
got  better  she  would  write  another, 
but  she  never  lived  to  write  it. 

Shall  Coventry's  record  be  forgot, 
And  never  brought  ,to  mind; 

We'll    have    a    thought    of    kindness 
yet 
For  the  days  of  auld  lang  syne. 

Let    memory     now     turn     back     the 
scroll 

Of  years  and  by  gone  days; 
And  Coventry  sure  has  struggled  on 

And    needs   a    word    of   praise. 

A  busy  thriving  bustling  town 
We  look  it  o'er  with  pride; 

And   count   it  ye,t  as  number  one, 
A   fact   that's   not   denied. 


We  have  had  our  share  of  teachers 
great, 

And    teachers    wise   in    lore; 
And  poets,  too,  come  in  our  ranks, 

We   cannot   pass   them   o'er. 

Good,  honest  merchants  come  in  line, 
They've  served  us  well  and  long; 

And  they  in  story  or  song 
Mus,t  not  be  over  looked. 

Go  where  you  will  in  foreign  lands, 
Where'er  you   chance   to   roam; 

And   busy  memory  ever  turns. 
To  Coventry  as  the  home. 

Dear  Friends:  I  sincerely  thank 
you,  each  one  and  all,  in  town  and 
out,  for  any  assistance  you  have 
given  me  in  writing  ithis  history  of 
the  town  of  Coventry.  As  much  of 
it  had  to  be  gleamed  from  the  mem- 
ory of  a  few  of  the  older  inhabitants, 
the  writer  trusts  that  if  some  one 
sees  errors  therein  they  will  kindly 
pardon. 

OLIVER  P.  JUDD. 


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